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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The Central chimps scattered as the Western chimps climbed up the tree.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
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That's when Northwood Tree Care climbed in.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
20 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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Officials said seven of the victims were struck by gunfire, while others were hurt in the chaos as people scrambled to get down from the pyramids, with some falling during the panic.—
Bradford Betz,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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Magadini jumped down a ledge and scrambled for cover while two of his friends stayed on the platform above trying to hide.—
Maria Verza,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Counsell thought Suzuki’s at-bats looked good from the onset of Tuesday’s game and felt the swings in his first at-bat were a great sign.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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Every few minutes, the quiet of a muggy spring evening in the Park Glen neighborhood in far north Fort Worth was broken by the clanging of pots, pans, air horns, and other noisemakers as residents looked skyward at unwanted guests.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 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 25 Apr. 2026.
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