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

• 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

In between, the Sabres and Senators had a five-man scrum after the whistle in front of Ottawa’s bench. —Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

Branch and Smith-Schuster were at the center of a scrum following the Chiefs’ 30-17 win over the Lions on Sunday, and Franklin was all for it. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025

In the postgame scrum, while happy with the win, the Stars’ coach was not enamored of Middleton’s play. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025

As the scrum disperses, D’Angelo turns to you and slaps you five. —Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025

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