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
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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
Jessy Parker Humphreys, The Athletic, 17 July 2024
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
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
Despite Mortimer’s best efforts to scrabble a team together, Charlton finished bottom of the league in 2007-08 and were relegated.
—Jessy Parker Humphreys, The Athletic, 17 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabble
Noun
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Keith and Mark Newhouse of Newhouse Creative Group understand these struggles firsthand.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Young’s struggles against the Heat continued early in Friday’s contest, scoring 14 points while shooting just 3 of 14 from the field and 1 of 5 on threes through the first three quarters.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Police became aware someone had climbed over the fence and began a pursuit on the grounds but initially didn’t locate anyone.—
Marc Levy,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
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Then the band climbed into the hot dog, briefly reclaimed from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and soared around the arena.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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During the Mets’ loss to the Marlins, Vientos was jogging to first base when Miami’s Graham Pauley fumbled the ball.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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The characters in Megan Howell’s short stories, which glide into scenes of magical realism, are lonely people facing the harsh realities of an often violent world and fumbling toward something more hopeful.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rather, Awuah-Darko wants his story to reach people, whether through Instagram or this article, who feel alone in their battles, even if that comes with backlash.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
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Orlando, dies after long battle with cancer Patrick Kahn, founder of Snap! Orlando, dies after long battle with cancer Defending elections integrity cost Alan Hays some friendships.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Aside from the Signal scandal, Hegseth is scrambling to deal with the fallout from the recent departure of four senior Pentagon appointees under murky circumstances.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
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Pharmaceutical companies have been scrambling to bolster their U.S. presence amid threats from President Donald Trump to end the industry’s exemption from import tariffs.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Mikko has food aversion, often eating only certain colors and textures, so the family looks for grocery stores and lodging that have a kitchen or at least a microwave.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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The Kings are looking to end their postseason nightmare, which has seen the Oilers knock them out in the first round for three straight years.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The 27-year-old’s striking was on point throughout the fight.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Amid a protracted fight over the future of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, the Missouri Senate on Monday passed legislation that could attract one of the teams to the Northland.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The men then clambered down to the water before launching a raft from the northeast shore of the island.—
Louise McLoughlin,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
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Though hampered somewhat by Brexit, England saw sales shrink just 5 percent over 2023 and thus clambered back to second place in the market with $10.4 billion, while China experienced a 31 percent decline, to $8.4 billion.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabble. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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