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
Example Sentences
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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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Point Loma Nazarene’s women’s basketball team improved to 14-4 and climbed back on top of the PacWest Conference standings with a 10-2 mark after beating Azusa Pacific (80-55) and contender Vanguard (59-57) last week.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Silver and platinum prices have also climbed alongside gold, reflecting broader investor interest in hard assets.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But Jaylen Petty fumbled the outlet pass after the steal, and UCF (17-4, 6-3 Big 12) recovered to set up Fulks' jumper to go up by two possessions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
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But Jaylen Petty fumbled the outlet pass after the steal, and UCF (17-4, 6-3 Big 12) recovered to set up Fulks’ jumper to go up by two possessions.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hollander scrambled to leave the gallery, only to find the door was locked.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Eduardo Emmanuel Vasquez, a junior and member of Sigma Lambda Beta, watched first hand as friends heard the news and scrambled to figure out their plans.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fluffy, with a golden exterior and pale white interior, this cake looked impressive even before digging in.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
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The league looked into the matter and did not find enough evidence to sanction Rozier and has since noted Rozier cooperated with that probe.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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But after the show’s debut, fans clambered for more.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrabbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabbled. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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