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
The company is grappling with keeping the retail price stable while battling rising memory and component prices, which has manufacturers scrambling to adjust their pricing strategies.
—
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The Administration is scrambling to contain the fallout from Minneapolis, where Pretti’s death was the second high-profile killing by federal agents in just over two weeks, and comes amid other confrontations that have drawn outrage.
—Philip Wang, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
The documents confirmed state employees’ hunch that there were not enough workstations to fit everyone come July, which would create issues when workers would be left scrambling for a spot to plug in laptops.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Much of it, though, is because Denver is not scrambling this week trying to figure out how to approach life without Nix.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Many others were scrambling to make connections.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
Cannon plays a Hollywood power agent scrambling to land Baldwin as the marquee name for a collapsing production.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
The following days have seen airlines struggling with delays and scrambling to add additional flights in order to accommodate affected customers.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
At least two young children were caught up in the mayhem, which sent stroller-pushing parents scrambling for safety.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The Administration is scrambling to contain the fallout from Minneapolis, where Pretti’s death was the second high-profile killing by federal agents in just over two weeks, and comes amid other confrontations that have drawn outrage.
—Philip Wang, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
The documents confirmed state employees’ hunch that there were not enough workstations to fit everyone come July, which would create issues when workers would be left scrambling for a spot to plug in laptops.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Much of it, though, is because Denver is not scrambling this week trying to figure out how to approach life without Nix.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Many others were scrambling to make connections.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
Cannon plays a Hollywood power agent scrambling to land Baldwin as the marquee name for a collapsing production.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
The following days have seen airlines struggling with delays and scrambling to add additional flights in order to accommodate affected customers.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
At least two young children were caught up in the mayhem, which sent stroller-pushing parents scrambling for safety.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrambling
Verb
-
At 1,667 feet tall, the Taipei 101 skyscraper is one of the tallest buildings in the world, and Honnold will be climbing it without the use of ropes or safety nets.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
So a man climbing a very tall building without a rope is a pretty compelling proposition, right?—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In a panel conversation on Friday, Georgieva said that AI is already disrupting labor markets worldwide by shifting demand for skills employers seek, and might even boost earnings for some workers by improving productivity.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Kelly, alongside a mob of activists, allegedly stormed Cities Church over the weekend, disrupting a Sunday sermon based on allegations that one of the pastors, David Easterwood, is an ICE official.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Jan. 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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Even when the locals lost faith, Villa remained focused, forever shuffling side to side and defending with the same urgency.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Go on a street food tour Street food tours are great things to do in Sicily and a fabulous alternative to hours of shuffling through museums.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For example, during a recent power outage in San Francisco, autonomous robotaxis got stuck at intersections, blocking emergency vehicles and confusing other drivers.—
Murugan Anandarajan,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The projectionist showed the second reel first, and as my grandfather said, the film was already confusing enough.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Stress from disturbing events can drain a person’s cognitive bandwidth, even if output expectations remain the same.—
Paula Davis,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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This combination of sensors supports reliable sleep tracking without disturbing your night.—
Sleepal,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrambling. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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