Synonyms of scrabbling

scrabbling

verb

present participle of scrabble

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

• climbing
• scrambling
• clambering
• swarming
• ascending
• scaling
• clawing
• shimmying
• struggling
• shinning
• surmounting
• shinnying
• breasting
• mounting
• sprawling
• skinning
• summiting
• free-climbing
• getting up

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

• fumbling
• looking
• reaching
• groping
• feeling
• fishing
• grabbing
• clutching
• snatching
• hunting
• raking
• rummaging
• scouring
• seizing
• combing
• capturing
• grabbling
• seeking (out)
• casting about
• nailing
• ransacking
• getting
• nabbing
• dredging
• corralling
• digging (through)
• rifling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scrabbling

Tarek Ghanem, a 41-year-old construction contractor who is homeless himself, ran from his tent 100 yards away to begin scrabbling through the debris. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026

The retaliation works, and soon Cole and his men are marching on foot, scrabbling their way through thickets and swamps. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

In addition, its luxury pricing will turn off many hobbyists and content creators who are scrabbling to make ends meet. — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026

Imagine combat choreographed by ants, swarms of elbows and legs scrabbling to emerge victorious. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

The actress and producer has had great success in recent years, turning her talents to working behind the scenes of comedies about young people scrabbling their way through life. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 2 June 2026

In the new South, one scrabbling to industrialize, business owners could now hire unpaid labor through the penal system. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026

That left the administration scrabbling for other ways to reimpose duties that were struck down. — Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026

Next went Marshall Allen, hands on his sax like feral scrabbling mice. — Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026