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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Recovery rates climbed above 75 percent for several metals with slightly longer treatment times.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
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His drive to eliminate Argentina’s chronic inflation has stalled, unemployment has climbed and the economy has contracted.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trailing to Jule Brand's 19th-minute goal for record eight-time champion Lyon, Arsenal was gifted an equalizer in the 59th when Mariona Caldentey's low free kick into the area was fumbled backward by goalkeeper Christiane Endler and onto the post.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Critics say the Epstein files show how Republican and Democratic administrations alike fumbled the Epstein investigation over two decades, leaving potential coconspirators uncharged.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On his YouTube show Monday, Smith described the chaos as guests scrambled to react without clear information.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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It can be baked, air-fried, grilled, scrambled, or stir-fried.—
Olivia Tarantino,
Martha Stewart,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For one night, the Mets looked like the team they’re supposed to be.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Magic superstar Tracy McGrady was playing at an MVP level, and Orlando looked faster, freer and flat-out better.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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At another point, a ranger waded through the mud of a mangrove forest and clambered into a mangrove to catch a bird for a blood sample, before doing the same trek in reverse to put it back.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrabbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabbled. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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