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
Elvia Wilk, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024
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
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
In one of the first scenes, Roz learns to scrabble up a cliff by copying the movements of a fiddler crab (which is immediately swiped by a seagull).
—Elvia Wilk, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for scrabble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabble
Noun
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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
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Keith and Mark Newhouse of Newhouse Creative Group understand these struggles firsthand.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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Apple, which relies on a supply chain based largely in China, saw shares climb 2.2%.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Later in the first period, Theodore fumbled the puck into the skates of his teammate, Hertl, on their way out of the defensive zone, and Foligno added to Minnesota’s lead.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Every moment spent fumbling with gear in those temperatures came at a cost—to fingers, batteries, and hard drives alike.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Lorna Romero Ferguson, a Republican political strategist based in Arizona, told the Washington Examiner that both parties are still going to have to battle over redistricting efforts and keep extremist candidates from the ballot box to stay competitive after the 2030 census.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Apr. 2025
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Barner had a good rookie season and the battle between him and Arroyo will be interesting to watch.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
-
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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While things weren’t completely blown off course with Friday’s 4-0 loss to Gotham FC, Angel City looked lost without Alyssa Thompson leading the way.—
Emily Olsen,
New York Times,
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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According to Fox 4 News, Anthony, who is Black, is accused of stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, who was white during a fight at Kuykendall Stadium.—
Oumou Fofana,
Essence,
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 30 Apr. 2025.
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