1
as in throngs
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 skirmishes
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 madhouses
British
a place of uproar or confusion
London's tube is quite a scrum during rush hour
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrums
No awkward scrums with the media grilling him about a slump Saturday morning ahead of Game 3 of this second-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena.
—
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 9 May 2026
The scrums and after-whistle activity that defined the first period of Game 2 and much of Game 1 simply were not there in Game 3, with the Lightning seemingly content to play between the whistles in an effort to avoid handing the Canadiens power plays in bunches.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The game featured several scrums after the whistle, a spirited fight between Montreal’s Josh Anderson and Tampa Bay’s Declan Carlile, and seven 10-minute misconducts — culminating in 126 penalty minutes.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
Lawmakers have cycled through classified briefings, TV interviews and hallway scrums with reporters, but have taken little formal action related to Trump’s war efforts — just two unsuccessful votes aimed at limiting the conflict.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
The heat turned up in the second, with a few post-whistle scrums, then a full-on fight between Wild defenseman Jake Middleton and Knights winger Keegan Kolesar that earned each of them a five-minute timeout.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
Not just tall, the physical trio of defensive midfielder Tverskov (6-1,183 pounds), defender Chris McVey (6-3 ½ , 181 pounds) and forward Marcus Ingvartsen (6-1 ½, 168 pounds) can thrive in scrums.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Despite that, Concepcion always embraced his time in media scrums, shook everyone's hand before and after and showed confidence while doing so.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
And while this particular standoff has been unusually drawn out, the sticking points wouldn’t be unfamiliar to anyone who’s participated in one of the hundreds of similar scrums that have taken place since the dawn of the cable bundle.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Nov. 2025
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 9 May 2026
The scrums and after-whistle activity that defined the first period of Game 2 and much of Game 1 simply were not there in Game 3, with the Lightning seemingly content to play between the whistles in an effort to avoid handing the Canadiens power plays in bunches.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The game featured several scrums after the whistle, a spirited fight between Montreal’s Josh Anderson and Tampa Bay’s Declan Carlile, and seven 10-minute misconducts — culminating in 126 penalty minutes.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
Lawmakers have cycled through classified briefings, TV interviews and hallway scrums with reporters, but have taken little formal action related to Trump’s war efforts — just two unsuccessful votes aimed at limiting the conflict.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
The heat turned up in the second, with a few post-whistle scrums, then a full-on fight between Wild defenseman Jake Middleton and Knights winger Keegan Kolesar that earned each of them a five-minute timeout.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
Not just tall, the physical trio of defensive midfielder Tverskov (6-1,183 pounds), defender Chris McVey (6-3 ½ , 181 pounds) and forward Marcus Ingvartsen (6-1 ½, 168 pounds) can thrive in scrums.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Despite that, Concepcion always embraced his time in media scrums, shook everyone's hand before and after and showed confidence while doing so.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
And while this particular standoff has been unusually drawn out, the sticking points wouldn’t be unfamiliar to anyone who’s participated in one of the hundreds of similar scrums that have taken place since the dawn of the cable bundle.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrums
Noun
-
The plane lands, surrounded by throngs of people, and out steps Hitler, followed by his posse, including Joseph Goebbels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
There certainly seem to be apparitions in this music, some presence apart from the four musicians and the throngs of fans, which is intensified by the visceral collision of so many sounds.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The game was delayed with just under six minutes on the clock after several skirmishes broke out, leading to the ejections of Seals captain Wes Berg and Toronto’s Elijah Gash.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
The early skirmishes certainly appeared that way.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Most often, quake swarms are caused by fluids — typically water — interacting with fault lines, the federal agency said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
10 May 2026
-
Russian officials have not identified the source of the drones, but Russia’s defense ministry has ascribed other drone swarms in the Arkhangelsk region to Ukraine.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The most recent back-and-forth over talks comes after a week of sporadic clashes in the Persian Gulf, amid a month-long ceasefire.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, small-scale clashes continued around the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire between Iran and the United States.—
James LaPorta,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Through the project, hordes of people were confronted with the biases of facial recognition technology for the first time.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
-
Based on a viral short film, the movie features Martin Freeman and Susie Porter as a couple who have commandeered a houseboat to evade hordes of rapacious undead.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Two title fights, multiple division-shifting wins, a record extended for Miller, an arrival statement from Amosov, and a main event that traded weeks of bad blood for legitimate mid-fight respect.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
Spread by social media flyers or mass messages beforehand, the takeovers have on occasion spiraled into chaos, with reports of fights, robberies, gunshots and general disruption.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
In terms of performances and safety, the Triton Troupers Circus is like other circuses.—
Myrna Petlicki,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
As a teen-ager, Batten was the president of Animal Connection of Texas, an animal-rights nonprofit, and lobbied for restrictions on travelling circuses.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Formed by volcanic debris a quarter of a million years ago, the alkaline, algae-rich lakes attract giant flocks of hungry flamingos, along with a vast variety of wading and migratory birds.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Picture murmurations of starlings staining the sky like ink drops or flocks of sheep flowing like liquid.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrums. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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