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
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Relatively recently, humans were scrabbling in the dirt, and hunting for animals, and writing things on cave walls, or later, parchments.
—John Werner, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
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
There are other ethnic lines drawn among Gotham’s gangs, each scrabbling for a little bit more of the pie that Carmine used to keep mostly for himself.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Relatively recently, humans were scrabbling in the dirt, and hunting for animals, and writing things on cave walls, or later, parchments.
—John Werner, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabble
Noun
-
And for those wondering: Yes, despite her struggles Gay would still love to be a full-time actress.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN,
23 Mar. 2025
-
The New York Times bestseller tells the coming-of-age story of two sisters in France on the eve of World War II and their struggles to survive the German occupation of their country.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The prohibition on climbing not only protects the structure but also safeguards visitors from potential accidents.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
-
On the night of April 18, 1775, church sexton Robert Newman climbed into the belfry.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
After Hovland calmly made a bogey on the last to secure the win, PGA Tour fans wasted no time grilling Thomas for fumbling a golden opportunity.—
Kevin Sabet,
Newsweek,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Gonzaga did have a shot to tie on its final possession, but Khalif Battle fumbled a handoff and had his desperation 3-pointer blocked by Ja’Vier Francis.—
CJ Moore,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Michael Mann, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage Pay Tribute to Actor By the time the sequel was filmed and finally came out — there were COVID delays as Tom Cruise (rightly) insisted on a theatrical release — Kilmer was quite deep into his battle with throat cancer.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The report calls for a shift toward smarter, more coordinated policies that anticipate risks— rather than scramble to contain them.—
Daphne Ewing-Chow,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
-
As President Donald Trump pursues the dissolution of the Department of Education, local leaders are scrambling to understand how staffing cuts and the potential loss of federal funding will affect schools.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Musk maintains that the company’s future remains bright A growing number of consumers who bought Tesla vehicles before Musk took over DOGE have been looking to sell or trade them in, while others have slapped on bumper stickers seeking to distance themselves from him.—
Michael Liedtke,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Fans have even more to look forward to as Shrek 5 is currently in development and set to be released in 2026 with the original voice cast plus a-lister Zendaya.—
Jane LaCroix,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This is not the moment to slow down the fight or turn our backs on TB.—
Peter Sands,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
-
What is first suspected to be bullying or some kind of fight gone wrong is quickly revealed to be an entirely new horror.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Netflix's Love Is Blind dropped its finale on March 7 as fans clambered to know: which of the four remaining couples would walk down the aisle? Want more?—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Who wants to ride a banana boat, play on the floating trampoline or clamber on the inflatable climbing wall?—
Lynn O'Rourke Hayes,
Boston Herald,
2 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabble. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share