scrabble

1 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 clamber, climb, scramble, swarmRelated Words shimmy, shin, shinny, skin; ascend, breast [chiefly British], free-climb, get up, mount, scale, summit, surmount; claw, sprawl, struggle

2 to search for something blindly or uncertainly he frantically scrabbled through the storage chest looking for the needed documents Synonyms feel, fish, fumble, gropeRelated Words grabble; cast about, hunt, look, reach, seek (out); capture, clutch, corral, get, grab, nab, nail, seize, snatch; comb, dig (through), dredge, rake, ransack, rifle, rummage, scour