1
as in climbed
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
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2
as in fumbled
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
he frantically scrabbled through the storage chest looking for the needed documents
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of scrabbled
The Eagles have scrabbled at multiple offensive schemes while leveraging the strength of their defense.
—
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabbled
Verb
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Dozens climbed into the cargo bay.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Its stock has climbed about 274% in the last year, in part because it has long been seen as an acquisition target.—
Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the 88th minute, Neuer fumbled a routine shot and allowed Joselu to equalise.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Fans were exiting en masse in the top of the ninth when Frelick’s RBI single off Rule 5 rookie Ryan Watson, fumbled by reigning AL Gold Glove centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela, increased Milwaukee’s lead to three.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Logan Calderon delivered 31 assists, Alik Torchilo had 24 kills and freshman Jaxon Calderon scrambled for 31 digs as Orlando University (8-9) pulled out a 25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 25-23, 17-15 win against Cypress Creek.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
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Iran scrambled to appoint replacements as the nation sustained losses at the highest level.—
Keely Bastow,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Inside Inter Miami’s latest episode discusses how the new stadium looked, felt and how the operational logistics played out during its premiere last Saturday with reactions from team owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas.—
Andre Fernandez,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
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From this distance, the moon looked about as big as a basketball held at arm's length, NASA officials said during the Artemis 2 livestream.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The smugglers let him aboard, and the boy clambered around hatches that, if opened, would reveal dozens of felonies worth of illicit cargo.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
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At another point, a ranger waded through the mud of a mangrove forest and clambered into a mangrove to catch a bird for a blood sample, before doing the same trek in reverse to put it back.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrabbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabbled. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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