scrum

noun

ˈskrəm 

1

a

or scrummage

ˈskrə-mij 

: a rugby play in which the forwards of each side come together in a tight formation and struggle to gain possession of the ball using their feet when it is tossed in among them

also : the arrangement of players in a scrum

b

: a usually brief and disorderly struggle or fight : scrape, scuffle

2

a

British : madhouse sense 2

b

: a usually tightly packed or disorderly crowd : throng

scrummage intransitive verb

Synonyms

• army
• bike [chiefly Scottish]
• cram
• crowd
• crush
• drove
• flock
• herd
• horde
• host
• legion
• mass
• mob
• multitude
• press
• rout
• swarm
• throng

Examples of scrum in a Sentence

I had to fight my way through the scrum of holiday shoppers at the mall.

when the server spilled a drink on a customer, they got into a bit of a scrum before being separated

Recent Examples on the Web

In a perfect storybook ending, Saturday’s premiere of the Disney live-action adaptation of Snow White would culminate in a familiar scrum on the red carpet in front of Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025

There’s a heated exchange of words, then the officer grabs the coach by his collar and shoves him against a fence as children shout and adults rush in to stop the fight, which ends in a violent scrum on the turf. —Mitchell Willetts, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2025

Alongside fashion regulars like Liya Kebede, Nicolas Ghesquière and Pierre Hardy, there was a new face in Paris, with Chappell Roan practically causing a scrum at the Rabanne show Thursday. —Alex Wynne, WWD, 6 Mar. 2025

To sum it up: Look for a big scrum in this market as major players position themselves for AI. —R. Scott Raynovich, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for scrum

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum