scramble
/ˈskɹæmbl̩/ verb, noun, interjection
Forms scrambles scrambling scrambled
- verb (intransitive) To move hurriedly to a location, especially by using all limbs against a surface.
- verb (intransitive) To proceed to a location or an objective in a disorderly manner.
- verb (transitive, of food ingredients, usually including egg) To thoroughly combine and cook as a loose mass. “I scrambled some eggs with spinach and cheese.”
- verb (transitive) To process telecommunication signals to make them unintelligible to an unauthorized listener.
- verb (transitive, by extension) To mix up, to confuse, to mislead.
- verb (transitive, military, also by extension) To quickly deploy (vehicles, usually aircraft) to a destination in response to an alert, usually to intercept an attacking enemy.
- verb (intransitive, military) To be quickly deployed in this manner.
- verb (intransitive, sports) To partake in motocross.
- noun A rush or hurry, especially making use of the limbs against a surface. “a last-minute scramble to the finish line”
- noun (military) An emergency defensive air force mission to intercept attacking enemy aircraft.
- noun A motocross race.
- noun Any frantic period of competitive activity.
- noun (gridiron football) An impromptu maneuver or run by a quarterback, attempting to gain yardage or avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage.
- noun (golf) A statistic used in assessing a player's short game, consisting of a chip or putt from under 50 yards away that results in requiring one putt or less on the green.
- noun (golf) A variant of golf in which each player in a team tees off on each hole, and the players decide which shot was best. Every player then plays their second shot from within a club length of where the best ball has come to rest, and the procedure is repeated until the hole is finished.
- noun A dish (meal) involving scrambled eggs and a hodgepodge of complementary ingredients, usually closer to a casserole than to an omelette. “The diner's menu features "the farmer's scramble" (under all-day breakfast) and "the fisherman's fricassee" (under dinner entrees).”
- interjection (UK) Shouted when something desirable is thrown into a group of people who individually want that item, causing them to rush for it.
Synonyms
garble scrabble hash scuffle scamper scurry clamber shin shinny skin struggle sputter jumble throw together beat
Antonyms
Etymology
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”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To clamber with hands and knees; to scrabble; as, to scramble up a cliff; to scramble over the rocks.
- verb To struggle eagerly with others for something thrown upon the ground; to go down upon all fours to seize something; to catch rudely at what is desired.
- verb To collect by scrambling; as, to scramble up wealth. Marlowe.
- verb To prepare (eggs) as a dish for the table, by stirring the yolks and whites together while cooking.
Etymology [Freq. of Prov. E. scramb to rake together with the hands, or of scramp to snatch at. cf. Scrabble.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “scramble”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details