as in struggle
a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective
it'll be a long scrabble to pull ourselves out of poverty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to climb
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
2
as in to fumble
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
he frantically scrabbled through the storage chest looking for the needed documents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scrabble
Oluwatosin Adeshokan, Quartz Africa, 8 Nov. 2019
Across the street from her, a kinetic scrabble of orange and blue runs the height of a five-story brick building like an electric charge.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2019
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
Lawrence also finds a naivete to Grace’s agony: After scrabbling so hard at the walls that her fingertips bleed, Grace acts like a wounded child, taken aback by her own strength.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
Noun
In the early 90s, Nigeria’s central government recognized scrabble as a sport.
—Oluwatosin Adeshokan, Quartz Africa, 8 Nov. 2019
Across the street from her, a kinetic scrabble of orange and blue runs the height of a five-story brick building like an electric charge.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2019
Verb
This left the ruling Labour Party scrabbling.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
Lawrence also finds a naivete to Grace’s agony: After scrabbling so hard at the walls that her fingertips bleed, Grace acts like a wounded child, taken aback by her own strength.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabble
Noun
-
Just two weeks ago, Gary Woodland decided ot shared his struggles with post traumatic stress disorder, brought on after a September 2023 surgery, which involved a baseball-sized hole cut from the side of his head, to remove a brain lesion.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
And the struggles up front affected what was already troublesome quarterback play after Conner Harrell’s knee injury in Week 4.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In 2024, Contra Costa County investigators searched a ravine and found the ladder Matthew Muller described using to climb into a family's house weeks after the March 2015 attack on Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
And Friday’s loss pushed the Heat even further away from climbing out of the play-in tournament.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Nothing erodes confidence faster than fumbling for lockboxes, waiting on unresponsive listing agents, or showing a space that clearly doesn’t fit.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Three months into faith leaders’ legal battle, they were allowed back inside the facility in February for Ash Wednesday after a court order granted limited access.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
In the midst of a restitution battle, records show that Kilpatrick is at risk of losing a home in Novi over more than $50,000 in unpaid property taxes.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With the interference scrambling the ringside situation, Paul got hold of the brass knuckles and used them against The Usos, allowing The Vision to secure the pinfall and win the championships.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
First-time business owners can successfully move forward rather than scrambling around and making decisions based on frustration.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The coach often looks at those basketball stickers affixed over a block M at each player's locker.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Niche looked at suburban cities and towns as well as neighborhoods in big metro areas like Charlotte.—
Chase Jordan
March 30,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Internally, Mead Johnson conceded it had been beaten in the fight over fortifiers.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The risk When Manfred took over as MLB commissioner 11 years ago, baseball had long been surpassed by football as the country’s most popular sport and was in an existential fight to stay relevant to younger fans.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The film shows places of uncommon beauty, along with the throngs of visitors who clamber to see them and, crucially, preserve their experiences in photos.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabble. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
