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
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
Workplaces are scrambling to redefine what humans do best in the AI Era.
—Reshma Saujani, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
The governor’s office is scrambling to get the money back, a spokesman added.
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 6 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
Thousands of travelers were stranded as their flights were suddenly canceled, scrambling to rebook flights and find accommodations.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
Travel disruptions continued Sunday at Miami International Airport after hundreds of flights to and from the Caribbean were canceled, leaving passengers stranded, separated from their luggage, and scrambling to salvage vacation plans.
—Bri Buckley, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
For nearly a month, NASA has been scrambling to make contact with a spacecraft in orbit around Mars that abruptly fell silent.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
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
Workplaces are scrambling to redefine what humans do best in the AI Era.
—Reshma Saujani, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
The governor’s office is scrambling to get the money back, a spokesman added.
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 6 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
Thousands of travelers were stranded as their flights were suddenly canceled, scrambling to rebook flights and find accommodations.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
Travel disruptions continued Sunday at Miami International Airport after hundreds of flights to and from the Caribbean were canceled, leaving passengers stranded, separated from their luggage, and scrambling to salvage vacation plans.
—Bri Buckley, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
For nearly a month, NASA has been scrambling to make contact with a spacecraft in orbit around Mars that abruptly fell silent.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrambling
Verb
-
The price tag for competing in the artificial intelligence race is rapidly climbing, fueling demand for advanced computing power and the high-end chips that are needed to support it.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Shares of Vistra and Oklo rocketed higher following the news, climbing 15% and 17%, respectively.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In addition to disrupting the students’ routines, parents said the school closure forced them to scramble to make child care arrangements.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
-
And the light from screens can affect your circadian rhythm, disrupting your sleep.—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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
-
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
-
So, if the Phillies were to target Bichette, there would be some sort of shuffling in the infield.—
Patrick McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
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In 2022, Kelsey pleaded guilty to illegally shuffling money from his state Senate campaign account to his federal congressional campaign account.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Perplexity’s image features photographs of people with some truly nightmarish distortions on its wall, while the placement of its sink is confusing and distracting.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This was out of respect for me, and also to avoid confusing the children.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Videos showing the physical abuse of nonverbal children on a Littleton Public Schools bus are disturbing and difficult to watch.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Over the next six months, disturbing details about the abuse Kevin’s youngest children endured at the hands of their mother and Hildebrandt emerged.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrambling. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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