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

Then Tkachuk, whose right arm was being held by Rangers forward Matt Rempe, jostled with Shesterkin before the referees intervened and removed Shesterkin from the scrum. —Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 22 Jan. 2025

The scrum drifted behind the net, and when Tkachuk reached out to try to pull Braden Schneider off a teammate, Shesterkin jumped into action. —Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025

The same steps where, four years earlier, Trump flags were waved above the frenzied crowd and wielded like spears; where an officer was dragged facedown to be beaten with an American flag on a pole and another was pulled into the scrum to be kicked and stomped. —Dan Barry, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025

Make sure that cooking operations are organized and do not resemble a rugby scrum in the kitchen. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a