1
as in climbed
to move (as up or over something) often with the help of the hands in holding or pulling
we scrabbled up a sand dune to get a better view of the sea
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in fumbled
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
he frantically scrabbled through the storage chest looking for the needed documents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrabbled
With the June 2 primary weeks away and many voters still undecided, candidates scrabbled for airtime and breakout moments during the chaotic 90-minute debate.
—
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
The Eagles have scrabbled at multiple offensive schemes while leveraging the strength of their defense.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
The Eagles have scrabbled at multiple offensive schemes while leveraging the strength of their defense.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabbled
Verb
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Both drivers climbed from their cars and walked to an ambulance for a trip to the track's infield care center.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
-
In Guilford County, jails in Greensboro and High Point have climbed from holding 973 to 1,140.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Henderson also fumbled after hauling in a pass from DeVito.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
2 June 2026
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During Miami’s two periods of special teams work Malik Washington fumbled his first kickoff return, but most of the other punt returners and kickoff returned fielded their attempts well.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The report fueled rampant speculation as fans scrambled to scrutinized the duo's interactions in interviews and on the red carpet.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
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Three of the victims — Yamile Martinez, 21; Johntaya Alexander, 21; and, Melinda Davis, 57 — were killed in the first seconds of gunfire as the crowds that flooded K Street after nightclubs’ closing scrambled in terror.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The 1961 legislation establishing the Seashore saved the land from development and gave the public a pristine example of what the popular peninsula looked like before the Pilgrims arrived in Provincetown and before the birth of the nation.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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Lilly Selander looked like the hero Tuesday at White Bear Lake Area High School.—
Anya Armentrout,
Twin Cities,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Three mules ferrying bags of cement clambered past us on their own dirt track that ran shorter and even steeper up to the top.—
Erin Tan,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
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The smugglers let him aboard, and the boy clambered around hatches that, if opened, would reveal dozens of felonies worth of illicit cargo.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrabbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabbled. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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