1
as in throng
a great number of persons or creatures massed together
I had to fight my way through the scrum of holiday shoppers at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
when the server spilled a drink on a customer, they got into a bit of a scrum before being separated
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bedlam
British
a place of uproar or confusion
London's tube is quite a scrum during rush hour
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrum
Blaze Allen, senior, Bishop Moore Allen is a fierce tackler and always in on the scrum.
—
Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Jokić and Julius Randle were ejected after the scrum of pushes and shoves.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
After the game, Crosby offered his reaction to that incident and to another scrum involving teammate Bryan Rust a bit later that resulted in a Flyers power play and a power play goal.
—Matt Reigle, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Montreal and Tampa Bay each had all five skaters on the ice sent off at once following a similar postwhistle scrum in the Canadiens-Lightning Game 2 on Tuesday.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrum
Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Jokić and Julius Randle were ejected after the scrum of pushes and shoves.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
After the game, Crosby offered his reaction to that incident and to another scrum involving teammate Bryan Rust a bit later that resulted in a Flyers power play and a power play goal.
—Matt Reigle, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Montreal and Tampa Bay each had all five skaters on the ice sent off at once following a similar postwhistle scrum in the Canadiens-Lightning Game 2 on Tuesday.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrum
Noun
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In the five-minute work, Pau employs snippets lifted from government newsreels, most notably footage of a swimming contest held at Victoria Harbor in the 1960s showing throngs of Hong Kong citizens launching themselves into the ocean and paddling enthusiastically.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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From there, the gates open for throngs of local musicians to lay claim to performing in tribute to a specific musical act of their choosing, fitting within that theme.—
Aaron Davis,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
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The Pittsburgh Penguins staved off elimination for the second straight game with a clutch Game 5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but celebrations were briefly halted when a skirmish erupted over a controversial hit on Sidney Crosby after the final buzzer.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Walker, in a 10-pitch skirmish, drew a walk.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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At one point during the bedlam, a firework appears to be set off in the windshield wiper cowl, with sparks flying into the cruiser's windshield.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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At the end of Saturday night’s game, Kennard did what he had been acquired to do, the reason the Lakers call him off the bench, draining a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left, sending the bench into bedlam and giving the Lakers (46-25) a 105-104 victory over the Orlando Magic (38-32).—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But the Padres broke the tie with a check-swing RBI infield single by Xander Bogaerts in the eighth inning, and San Diego held on to beat the Sox 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,171 at Petco Park.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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The Madison Square Garden crowd let Embiid hear it with booming, profane jeers throughout that 2024 slugfest, which the Knicks won in six games.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Noun
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In some cases, the panel couldn’t even identify ICE or Border Patrol agents involved in high-profile clashes.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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The group of cyclists, who fell after the clash, collided into the side of the SUV and fell onto the pavement.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Headphones are often my saving grace in this madhouse.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
17 Apr. 2026
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In practice, this means a madhouse of multimedia rooms, packed with gurgling videos and useless machines and humanoid bodies.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Costumes aren’t necessarily mandatory for the performers at the Sac Halloween Show, but a heavy dose of creativity is required for this swarm of sonic cosplay.—
Aaron Davis,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
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According to budget details, SOCOM is seeking to purchase 93 group 2 UAVs, 10 group 3 UAVs, 16 swarm carrier pods, and five ground system interfaces.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
1 May 2026
Noun
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The project is particularly acrimonious, drawing out geographical battles between north and south and thorny fights between officials who want to build the tunnel and environmentalists and Delta residents seeking to protect the local ecosystem and their way of life.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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Without losing a man or a ship, Dewey’s squadron destroyed the Spanish fleet in the first American naval battle against a foreign power in almost five decades.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrum. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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