1
as in climbing
to move (as up or over something) often with the help of the hands in holding or pulling
the toddler scrambled up the stairs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
scrambled the letters of the word
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrambling
With the interference scrambling the ringside situation, Paul got hold of the brass knuckles and used them against The Usos, allowing The Vision to secure the pinfall and win the championships.
—
Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
First-time business owners can successfully move forward rather than scrambling around and making decisions based on frustration.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
Countries around the world are scrambling to secure lithium supply — the linchpin of electrification, energy storage, and industrial competitiveness — in a bid to avoid supply shocks, protect jobs, and ensure that their clean energy transitions are held hostage by a few global players.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026
China already has landed robotic spacecraft on the moon’s far side — the only nation to achieve that — and is scrambling to land astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2030.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Banks have been scrambling to calculate how the war — and prices — may evolve.
—The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
That leaves poorer nations scrambling.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Now, some of the biggest names in tech and retail are scrambling to catch up.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
His opposition prompted scrambling to change the bill, ultimately turning the restriction into a training requirement, under which guns of that type could still be sold to people who completed certain educational courses.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
First-time business owners can successfully move forward rather than scrambling around and making decisions based on frustration.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
Countries around the world are scrambling to secure lithium supply — the linchpin of electrification, energy storage, and industrial competitiveness — in a bid to avoid supply shocks, protect jobs, and ensure that their clean energy transitions are held hostage by a few global players.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026
China already has landed robotic spacecraft on the moon’s far side — the only nation to achieve that — and is scrambling to land astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2030.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Banks have been scrambling to calculate how the war — and prices — may evolve.
—The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
That leaves poorer nations scrambling.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Now, some of the biggest names in tech and retail are scrambling to catch up.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
His opposition prompted scrambling to change the bill, ultimately turning the restriction into a training requirement, under which guns of that type could still be sold to people who completed certain educational courses.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrambling
Verb
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And Friday’s loss pushed the Heat even further away from climbing out of the play-in tournament.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The increase has been highest among Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans, climbing to 30% for those groups compared to 16% for White Americans.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Aid workers at Ladan say the raging war in the Middle East — more than 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) away — has made their work harder, disrupting supplies and sending fuel costs soaring.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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In a moment when the market is worried about the technology disrupting a slew of online companies' business models, Young believes Chewy is a safe play.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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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These chips spend most of their energy shuffling data between a memory unit and a processor.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Mar. 2026
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So what better way to cap all that off than closing out the Oscars — even if the clip played while the audience was shuffling out of the theater and calling their Ubers.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This device is a high-tech centrifuge that simulates microgravity by spinning vials with samples around two axes, effectively confusing the cells inside as to their position in space.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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During the Second World War, the Allies put a special effort into confusing the Axis powers.—
David Szondy
March 25,
New Atlas,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of barging past, the Great Dane carefully adjusts his body, pressing himself to the side of the stairs in an effort to avoid disturbing the cat.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Police said there were reports of reckless driving throughout the parking lot, a fire, underage drinking, and disturbing others at the shopping district.—
Robert A. Cronkleton
March 30,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrambling. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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