1
as in scrawling
to write or draw hastily or carelessly
she scribbled a quick note on the pad by the door before leaving
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in writing
to compose and set down on paper the words of
he scribbled a quick note to his wife and taped it to the front door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scribbling
Quatisha Maycock, 5, had just learned how to write her name and practiced scribbling it every day up until she was thrown into the Everglades and left to be eaten by alligators.
—
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
No more scribbling names on napkins and losing them later.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The flashy country singer had his suits with him in a dry cleaner’s bag and, when inspiration struck, Parton snatched the receipt from the bag and began scribbling.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 19 Jan. 2026
Pumping his fist and scribbling notes Mangione stayed active throughout the hearing, taking notes, reading documents, conferring with his lawyers and occasionally looking back toward his two-dozen or so supporters in the courtroom gallery.
—Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
Loureiro was a popular teacher, engaging with students and scribbling numbers and figures on a white board like a physicist would be portrayed in the movies, according to Bruno Gonçalves, a plasma physicist and former colleague.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Will seems to be perpetually scribbling one play after another by candlelight, then drifting off to London to pitch his shows to an emerging disarray of theatrical producers — aspiring manipulators who have money and titles as well as risky political entanglements.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
One story of the Desert Fathers recounts a sighting of a demon perched on the top of the monastery, busily scribbling down all the faults of the brothers within.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Simon managed to keep scribbling on his yellow legal pad but his handwriting, illegible on a good day, quickly deteriorated into nothing more than chicken scratch.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
No more scribbling names on napkins and losing them later.
—Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The flashy country singer had his suits with him in a dry cleaner’s bag and, when inspiration struck, Parton snatched the receipt from the bag and began scribbling.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 19 Jan. 2026
Pumping his fist and scribbling notes Mangione stayed active throughout the hearing, taking notes, reading documents, conferring with his lawyers and occasionally looking back toward his two-dozen or so supporters in the courtroom gallery.
—Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
Loureiro was a popular teacher, engaging with students and scribbling numbers and figures on a white board like a physicist would be portrayed in the movies, according to Bruno Gonçalves, a plasma physicist and former colleague.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Will seems to be perpetually scribbling one play after another by candlelight, then drifting off to London to pitch his shows to an emerging disarray of theatrical producers — aspiring manipulators who have money and titles as well as risky political entanglements.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
One story of the Desert Fathers recounts a sighting of a demon perched on the top of the monastery, busily scribbling down all the faults of the brothers within.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Simon managed to keep scribbling on his yellow legal pad but his handwriting, illegible on a good day, quickly deteriorated into nothing more than chicken scratch.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scribbling
Verb
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The act of scrawling them upon the page is tangible and pleasing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Nov. 2025
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Chalamet invites his Instagram followers to meet him at Regal Times Square to watch the first 30 minutes of Marty Supreme by scrawling the message on his Instagram Story in orange.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Traditionally, programming a robot implied writing thousands of lines of code to define every movement.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
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Originally envisioned as a musical, Williams was tasked with writing original songs with lyricist Leslie Bricusse before the idea was scrapped.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That's only scratching the surface of the symbolism and spirit of revolt that Bad Bunny brought to the Super Bowl.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
9 Feb. 2026
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Mock suggests using gentle cleaning tools to avoid scratching the flooring.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scribbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scribbling. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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