1
as in climbing
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 fumbling
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 scrabbling
He’s blessed with a tense, scrabbling physicality on screen, plus a baby-Brando glower beneath a head of striking blond curls, and Nemes directs him into a stance of braced, vulnerable defensiveness that serves the film’s purposes well — even if his character, too, wants for interior light.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Her left hand is scrabbling over the surface of the thin soil, grasping at dead leaves, something to wipe herself.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
The young Canadian couple are recent transplants to the French capital, having logged a decade as content creators, performance artists and DJs fond of zombie makeup and body dysphoria, slowly scrabbling their way onto the international fashion scene.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Her left hand is scrabbling over the surface of the thin soil, grasping at dead leaves, something to wipe herself.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
The young Canadian couple are recent transplants to the French capital, having logged a decade as content creators, performance artists and DJs fond of zombie makeup and body dysphoria, slowly scrabbling their way onto the international fashion scene.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabbling
Verb
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As Arizona squeezes more money from its decreasing share of river water, freighting every drop with critical industries and a booming housing market, the price of water is bound to keep climbing.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The series is already becoming an obsession among Apple TV subscribers, quickly climbing up the streamer's top TV charts.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Jones threw three interceptions while fumbling the ball three times - losing two - as Indianapolis picked up its second loss of the season.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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In Week 2, McCarthy played poorly, throwing two interceptions and fumbling three times.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As uncertainty continues around when federal food aid will be restored, school districts across North Texas are scrambling to make sure students and their families aren’t forced to go hungry.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Nov. 2025
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But the company is scrambling to regain its lead position in the market after losing market share to its chief rival, Eli Lilly, over the last year and struggling to impress investors with its current obesity pipeline.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Bertha Coombs,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Guests looking to relive their childhood days at the arcade can enjoy a dozen pinball machines, racing games, air hockey, Skee Ball and Guitar Hero, just to name a few.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Oct. 2025
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That might frustrate viewers looking for a more straightforward arc of political awakening leading to some self-sacrificing action heroics on Adelaida’s part.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The piece is a collection of disused shoemaker boxes, once used by cobblers to keep tools, pressed against each other and stacked up, clambering toward the ceiling.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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By the end of the night, so many fans had crowd-surfed from the pit to the stage, clambering onto the platform, that the band members were barely visible.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bipartisan groups of senators continue talks in hopes of reaching a deal.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Continuous or not, the current route to reaching AGI requires what would be the largest infrastructure build in history.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrabbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabbling. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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