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
With the June 2 primary weeks away and many voters still undecided, candidates scrabbled for airtime and breakout moments during the chaotic 90-minute debate.
—
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
The Eagles have scrabbled at multiple offensive schemes while leveraging the strength of their defense.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
The Eagles have scrabbled at multiple offensive schemes while leveraging the strength of their defense.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabbled
Verb
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Former Secret Service agent Keith Wojcieszek told me that during his 16 years on the job, people routinely climbed over the 6-foot-6-inch perimeter fence.—
Matt Viser,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
-
The father of two climbed into the back of a police SUV in Azusa, where his body was found three days later.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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During Miami’s two periods of special teams work Malik Washington fumbled his first kickoff return, but most of the other punt returners and kickoff returned fielded their attempts well.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
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Given how badly Karen Bass has fumbled as mayor, Raman couldn’t do much worse.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Around the same time, The Aerial Film Company and The Helicopter Girls were scrambled into the skies of London to capture shots of the city and The Shard.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
-
For a fun switch up at breakfast, try your oats scrambled.—
Jenavieve Christensen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The man looked at me in a rustling way, swaying toward me, his Styrofoam plate of angel hair and cherry tomatoes dotted with tiny black seeds like ants’ eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Japan’s Nikkei 225 hit a record high, signaling that investors have looked past the geopolitical uncertainty.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Three mules ferrying bags of cement clambered past us on their own dirt track that ran shorter and even steeper up to the top.—
Erin Tan,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Scrabbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabbled. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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