What does "scrabble" mean?
A scramble.
Scrabble
/ˈskɹæbəl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A scramble.
- Grammar: scrabble is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: all fours, barbouillage, beat about, bingo.
- Useful contrasts: amble, crawl, polish.
- Usage evidence: I wouldn't be surprised if lots of Tatoeba members were Scrabble addicts as well.
How to use "scrabble"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scrabble" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scrabble" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scrabble" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scrabble" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scrabble" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "all fours" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scrabble", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A scramble.
"a scrabble for dear life"
- 2 a board game in which words are formed from letters in patterns similar to a crossword puzzle; each letter has a value and those values are used to score the game wordnet
- 3 an aimless drawing wordnet
Verb
- 1 To scrape or scratch powerfully with hands or claws. intransitive
"[…] there came no answer, except the echo of my own voice sounding hollow and far off down in the vault. So in despair I turned back to the earth wall below the slab, and scrabbled at it with my fingers, till my nails were broken and the blood ran out; having all the while a sure knowledge, like a cord twisted round my head, that no effort of mine could ever dislodge the great stone."
- 2 write down quickly without much attention to detail wordnet
- 3 To gather hastily. transitive
"“Oh. The perfect ending to the perfect-- [chuckles] I almost said evening. More like months, though, isn't it? Since we started scrabbling for coins because the damn government took away our-- every thing. They took everything. And the only thing that was left, you idiots either lost, gave away, ate, or just blew up and sank.”"
- 4 feel searchingly wordnet
- 5 To move with difficulty by making rapid movements back and forth with the hands or paws. intransitive
"She was on her hands and knees scrabbling in the mud, looking for her missing wedding ring."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To scribble. intransitive
"David […] scrabbled on the doors of the gate."
- 7 To mark with irregular lines or letters; to scribble on. transitive
"to scrabble paper"
Proper Noun
- 1 A board game in which players draw letter tiles and take turns to make interlocking words like a crossword, scoring points according to the letters played and their positions on the board.
"So that's what's in the forbidden room! Scrabble! I want to laugh, shriek with laughter, fall off my chair. This was once the game of old women, old men, in the summers or in retirement villas, to be played when there was nothing good on television. Or of adolescents, once, long long ago. […] Now of course it's something different. Now it's forbidden, for us."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I wouldn't be surprised if lots of Tatoeba members were Scrabble addicts as well."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scrabble"?
Common synonyms include: all fours, barbouillage, beat about, bingo, board game, bore.
How do you use "scrabble" in a sentence?
I wouldn't be surprised if lots of Tatoeba members were Scrabble addicts as well.
How do you pronounce "scrabble"?
Pronounced /ˈskɹæbəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch schrabbelen, frequentative of schrabben (“to scrape”), equivalent to scrab + -le. More at scrape.
Etymology 2
A brand name, from the verb scrabble, James Brunot's rebranding (1948) of Alfred Butts's game Criss-Crosswords (1938).