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as in throng
a great number of persons or creatures massed together I had to fight my way through the scrum of holiday shoppers at the mall

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 scrum Belichick moved nowhere without a scrum. Paige Williams, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025 Elsewhere, Kayshon Boutte answered a late prayer, a veteran edge rusher is on the rise, Vrabel jumped into another scrum and suddenly, a productive receiver has a case of the butterfingers. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2025 As the scrum of people moved on the field, Vrabel was momentarily knocked down in the process. Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025 Ange Postecoglou, his predecessor, did not care about dead-ball situations and compared them to a scrum in rugby, but PSG could not cope with what Tottenham mustered from them last night. Jay Harris, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for scrum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrum
Noun
  • Teasdale was wedged within the throngs of the crowds but happy to have a clear view of Kirk.
    Rick Jervis, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
  • When a World War II-era bomb is found buried under a London construction site, the authorities are determined to evacuate the throngs of innocent bystanders in the vicinity.
    Kevin Cassidy, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Still one of the NFL’s nastiest division rivalries, the game was full of skirmishes and a near-costly unnecessary roughness penalty late in the third against the Eagles that put the Cowboys in position to take the lead.
    Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Ideological skirmishes over the motives and obligations of Carpenter’s music include both sincere interrogation of its feminism and smirking counteractive reprisals to that scrutiny.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Just as much bedlam erupted here at Weird and Wild World HQ.
    Jayson Stark, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Their journey to the Comiskey concert was typical of the bedlam that accompanied their performances.
    Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The Giants' pass rush should get a boost from the home crowd and prevent this from being easy for Patrick Mahomes and Co.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Other clips depict engines roaring with huge crowds and fireworks being set off.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Those clashes became viral videos that cemented his reputation as a culture warrior.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • On November 25, the La Liga holders travel to Stamford Bridge for a mouthwatering clash with the reigning Club World Cup kings.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The madhouse of awards season and all its many, many controversies — not to mention an ongoing parade of natural and man-made disasters — has until now perhaps overshadowed some of the year’s lower-stakes joys.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
  • But things move fast in the Goodison madhouse.
    Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Inside, the minimalist lobby doubles as a gallery, and the in-house restaurant, The Hive, is dripping with sculptures of glowing honeycombs, kudzu vines, and swarms of bees.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025
  • But Iranians knew better, and the Friday after Jîna’s death swarms of people, mostly women, congregated in front of Kasra Hospital, overflowing with rage about seeing another one of our young women disposed of by the security state with such casual cruelty.
    Fatemeh Jamalpour, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Republicans were unfazed by Democrats threatening to withhold their votes, accusing them of hypocrisy for condemning GOP efforts to win policy concessions in past funding battles.
    Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The iconic items fit well in this book given how many Avengers don’t feel complete without a gadget or mystical item to carry into battle.
    Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Scrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrum. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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