scrum

noun

ˈskrəm 

1

a

or scrummage

ˈskrə-mij 

: a rugby play in which the forwards of each side come together in a tight formation and struggle to gain possession of the ball using their feet when it is tossed in among them

also : the arrangement of players in a scrum

b

: a usually brief and disorderly struggle or fight : scrape, scuffle

2

a

British : madhouse sense 2

b

: a usually tightly packed or disorderly crowd : throng

scrummage intransitive verb

Synonyms of scrum

• throng
• crowd
• swarm
• flock
• horde
• mob

Examples of scrum in a Sentence

I had to fight my way through the scrum of holiday shoppers at the mall.

when the server spilled a drink on a customer, they got into a bit of a scrum before being separated

Recent Examples on the Web

That drew the ire of Avalanche center Martin Necas, resulting in a scrum. — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

The incident caused a brief scrum in which most players and coaches served as peace makers. — Brett Martel, AJC.com, 1 Nov. 2026

The hit caused a brief scrum, and the Kings’ Erik Haula received a two-minute penalty for roughing Hodgson. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Despite conceding five scrum penalties, Canada's defense forced constant errors by world champion England in front of 13,117 spectators. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for scrum

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum