Thesaurus results for SCRABBLING

scrabbling

verb

present participle of scrabble

as in climbing

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

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as in fumbling

to search for something blindly or uncertainly he frantically scrabbled through the storage chest looking for the needed documents

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 scrabbling Tarek Ghanem, a 41-year-old construction contractor who is homeless himself, ran from his tent 100 yards away to begin scrabbling through the debris. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026 The retaliation works, and soon Cole and his men are marching on foot, scrabbling their way through thickets and swamps. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 In addition, its luxury pricing will turn off many hobbyists and content creators who are scrabbling to make ends meet. — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026 Imagine combat choreographed by ants, swarms of elbows and legs scrabbling to emerge victorious. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 The actress and producer has had great success in recent years, turning her talents to working behind the scenes of comedies about young people scrabbling their way through life. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 2 June 2026 In the new South, one scrabbling to industrialize, business owners could now hire unpaid labor through the penal system. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026 That left the administration scrabbling for other ways to reimpose duties that were struck down. — Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026 Next went Marshall Allen, hands on his sax like feral scrabbling mice. — Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrabbling

Verb

Bills and costs keep climbing, and households are being forced to stretch budgets that were already tight.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
The initial shock of this freak accident is well-handled, notably when Jay tries to scramble up the whale’s jawline by climbing its teeth.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of climbing

Verb

The Seahawks had one of the worst turnovers in the NFL this season, fumbling in their own end zone and handing the 49ers a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the first half.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Specifically, Nico Iamaleava struggled, fumbling once and throwing interceptions to Oregon’s Koi Perich and Jerry Mixon.

— Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of fumbling

Verb

With the presidential elections approaching next April, political parties are scrambling to position themselves in relation to a protest movement that has shown no sign of abating.

— Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Clint Mueller, deputy director of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, said local governments now are scrambling to determine what other fees might be affected.

— David Wickert, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrambling

Verb

Depending on the machine and settings, that material ends up in a purge tower built alongside the print, or in a collection of little plastic doll's-house-looking spaghetti balls, affectionately known as printer poop.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
Yet his next leadership election is looking smooth compared with the past couple of bouts to lead the Senate GOP.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of looking

Verb

Commercial satellite operators are already clambering to claim space on Falcon 9s as the final sales are made.

— Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Sometimes only the tips of the reeds and the seed heads were visible, poking above the murky water, and other times the reeds stood fully exposed, with a clear view of crabs clambering around their bases.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of clambering

Verb

Anthropic wants Congress to set strict limits on when federal authorities can stop advanced AI models from reaching users.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
His friends and assistant also help keep him on track, showing how a supportive village can go a long way to reaching your goals.

— Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of reaching

Browse Nearby Words

scrabbles

scrabbling

scrag

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Style

“Scrabbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrabbling. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scrabbling

verb

Example Sentences

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