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

Josh Eernisse picked the puck out of a faceoff scrum at the right dot and rifled a wrist shot into the top corner to even the score. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026

One player who will undoubtedly be a thorn in the Wild’s side come playoff time is 6-foot-7 defenseman Lian Bichsel, who got into it with Vladimir Tarasenko and put Foligno through the cage, triggering a scrum. —Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

The ensuing scrum ended with Nick Foligno serving four minutes for roughing and Dallas on the power play. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2026

The game featured several scrums after the whistle, a spirited fight between Montreal’s Josh Anderson and Tampa Bay’s Declan Carlile, and seven 10-minute misconducts — culminating in 126 penalty minutes. —ABC News, 9 Apr. 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