Synonyms of scrumnext
1
a
or scrummage : 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Widely circulated footage of the incident appears to show agents remove a gun from a scrum with Pretti before shots are fired. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 Jan. 2026 Bystander video shows one agent reaching into the scrum of other officers seeking to restrain Pretti and retrieving a weapon that appears to match the firearm the Department of Homeland Security says Pretti possessed. Thomas Bordeaux, CNN Money, 25 Jan. 2026 On the edge of the scrum, a counter-protester was trying to de-escalate. Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026 Amid the normal pregame crush of Canadian media when the Wild visited Toronto earlier in the week, a reporter in the pregame scrum asked Hughes about his transition to a new team, new city and a new country. Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scrum

Word History

Etymology

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of scrum was in 1848

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrum. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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