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

With the scrum around him on pit road, Christopher Bell couldn’t quite put his disappointment into words. — Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026

Williams expressed a similar position during a May 19 media scrum, before clip resurfaced and spread widely in August. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, there was a scrum at midfield, with pushing and shoving on both sides. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

My arm is sore from holding my phone at arm’s length for 10 minutes during the media scrum after the show. — Vogue, 8 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