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Added 9 October 2026

scramble

/ˈskɹæmbl̩/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about scramble at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An unceremonious and disorganized struggle.
Rushing about hastily in an undignified way.

verb

To move hurriedly.
The friend scrambled after them
Climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling.
Bring into random order.

Origin

Origin uncertain. Perhaps from earlier dialectal scramble, scrammel (“to collect or rake together with the hands”), from scramb (“to pull or scrape together with the hands”) + -le (frequentative suffix) (compare Dutch schrammen (“to graze, brush, scratch”)); or alternatively from a nasalised form of scrabble (“to scrape or scratch quickly”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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