as in struggle
a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective
it'll be a long scrabble to pull ourselves out of poverty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to climb
to move (as up or over something) often with the help of the hands in holding or pulling
we scrabbled up a sand dune to get a better view of the sea
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to fumble
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
he frantically scrabbled through the storage chest looking for the needed documents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrabble
Oluwatosin Adeshokan, Quartz Africa, 8 Nov. 2019
Across the street from her, a kinetic scrabble of orange and blue runs the height of a five-story brick building like an electric charge.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2019
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 18 Dec. 2024
In one of the first scenes, Roz learns to scrabble up a cliff by copying the movements of a fiddler crab (which is immediately swiped by a seagull).
—Elvia Wilk, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
Noun
In the early 90s, Nigeria’s central government recognized scrabble as a sport.
—Oluwatosin Adeshokan, Quartz Africa, 8 Nov. 2019
Across the street from her, a kinetic scrabble of orange and blue runs the height of a five-story brick building like an electric charge.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2019
Verb
Democrats are likely to dedicate their 215 votes to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), leaving Johnson to scrabble for an overreaching three votes to secure the support of the 218 members required to win the position, assuming every representative is present.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 18 Dec. 2024
In one of the first scenes, Roz learns to scrabble up a cliff by copying the movements of a fiddler crab (which is immediately swiped by a seagull).
—Elvia Wilk, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabble
Noun
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Denver won Game 3 because Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray each scored at least 20 points, which went a long way toward subduing the struggles of Jokić.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
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The independent federal agency has been facing financial struggles in recent years, having implemented a 10-year plan to stabilize in 2021.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 May 2025
Verb
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Both dogs are fairly large, but both struggled to climb into the Velar’s boot, even with the clever Access suspension lowering mode enabled.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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As protesters attempted to stop the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election, Babbitt was climbing through the broken window of a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby when she was shot.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 May 2025
Verb
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The stress of getting to your airport gate on time, coupled with the excitement of getting to your destination, can cause even the most seasoned of travelers to fumble at security checkpoints.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2025
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For example, if an officer sees someone swerving, fumbling with items, or clearly not paying attention to the road, the interior light might factor into a citation for reckless or inattentive driving.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2025
Noun
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As a 60-person battle royale, matches can be extremely long and, in tournament play, repeat over and over for hours until a winning team can be crowned.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2025
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Michaels, 35, was playing a foot soldier in the White Walkers’ army of the dead during a climactic battle sequence in The Long Night, the pivotal third episode in Season 8.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
Verb
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The agency is scrambling to fill 155 forecasting positions by May 27, some of which are in storm-prone regions like Texas and Louisiana, according to a report by The Washington Post.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
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Ernst Valery, a member of the property’s ownership group, is scrambling.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
Verb
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After a memorable Game 4 victory to take a 3-1 series lead, the Knicks looked poised to take care of business in five games, especially with Boston losing Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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Some companies will look to outside data scientists and software specialists to get started.—
Claus Jepsen,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Noun
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The court appearance had stalled last month due to a fight over access to a parole document.—
Karim Doumar,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2025
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Collins and the other researchers were able to decipher text describing the fight and ultimate victory of Gawain, his brothers and his father King Loth versus the Saxon Kings Dodalis, Moydas, Oriancés, and Brandalus.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Fans in the away end were clambering over each other to sing their anthem about travelling to the Basque country, growing loud on loop in the second half as the game drifted, while Ruben Amorim made his selections and substitutions with the showpiece occasion on Wednesday in mind.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Music blared as children clambered on the stage table, where Red Cross representatives had signed handover documents just minutes before.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC News,
28 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabble. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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