Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Dutch
Origin: schrabbelen 'to scratch'

scrabble

 verb
     
scrab‧ble [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
to try to find or do something very quickly, usually by moving your hands or feet in an uncontrolled way
scrabble for
He scrabbled for the light switch.
scrabble around/about
She was scrabbling around, searching for the door.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary