scramble
Americanverb (used without object)
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to climb or move quickly using one's hands and feet, as down a rough incline.
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to compete or struggle with others for possession or gain.
The children scrambled for the coins we tossed.
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to move hastily and with urgency.
She scrambled into her coat and ran out the door.
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Military. (of pilots or aircraft) to take off as quickly as possible to intercept enemy planes.
verb (used with object)
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to collect or organize (things) in a hurried or disorderly manner (often followed by together orup ).
He scrambled the papers up from the desk. I scrambled the report together at the last minute.
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to mix together confusedly.
The teacher has hopelessly scrambled our names and faces.
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to cause to move hastily, as if in panic.
He scrambled everyone out of the burning building.
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to cook (eggs) in a pan while stirring, usually after mixing whites and yolks together.
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to make (a radio or telephonic message) incomprehensible to interceptors by systematically changing the transmission frequencies.
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to mix the elements of (a television signal) so that only subscribers with a decoding box can receive the signal.
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Military. to cause (an intercepting aircraft or pilot) to take off in the shortest possible time, in response to an alert.
noun
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a quick climb or progression over rough, irregular ground.
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a struggle for possession or gain.
a scramble for choice seats in the stadium.
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any disorderly or hasty struggle or proceeding.
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Military. an emergency takeoff of interceptors performed in the shortest possible time.
verb
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(intr) to climb or crawl, esp by using the hands to aid movement
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(intr) to proceed hurriedly or in a disorderly fashion
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to compete with others, esp in a disordered manner
to scramble for a prize
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to deal with hurriedly and unsystematically
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(tr) to throw together in a haphazard manner; jumble
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(tr) to collect in a hurried or disorganized manner
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(tr) to cook (eggs that have been whisked up with milk and seasoning) in a pan containing a little melted butter
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military to order (a crew or aircraft) to take off immediately or (of a crew or aircraft) to take off immediately
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(tr) to render (speech) unintelligible during transmission by means of an electronic scrambler
noun
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the act of scrambling
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a climb over rocks that involves the use of the hands but not ropes, etc
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a disorderly struggle, esp to gain possession
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military an immediate preparation for action, as of crew, aircraft, etc
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a motorcycle rally in which competitors race across rough open ground
Etymology
Origin of scramble
1580–90; blend of dial. scamble to stumble along, and scrabble (in the same sense)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But Harare abruptly brought forward the halt by 10 months after it noticed a suspicious scramble by mining firms to rush out production and exports, Mining Minister Polite Kambamura said earlier this month.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
It's not impossible that Spurs scramble a win here because Arne Slot's side were lousy in Turkey on Tuesday.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
Oil prices have vaulted past $100 a barrel after weeks of intensifying tensions with Iran, setting off a scramble in Washington and across global energy markets to contain the surge.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026
The others had to scramble to fill their rosters with whatever half-decent prospects they could unearth that had a tenuous claim to national heritage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
Another scramble in the chilly, damp morning followed.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
