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| scrab·ble [ skrább'l ] |
verb (past and past participle scrab·bled, present participle scrab·bling, 3rd person present singular scrab·bles) |
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| Definition: |
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1. intransitive verb scratch at something: to scrape or scratch at something with small, hurried movements of the fingers, toes, or claws
  The cat was scrabbling at the door.
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2. intransitive verb feel with fingers: to grope around frantically in an effort to find something
She scrabbled around trying to find the flashlight.
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3. intransitive verb climb over something: to climb hastily or clumsily up or over something
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4. intransitive verb struggle to get something: to struggle desperately to get something
scrabbling for enough money to make ends meet
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5. transitive verb produce something with difficulty: to produce something hastily and with difficulty from scarce resources
scrabble together a meal
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6. transitive and intransitive verb scribble: to scribble something
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noun (plural scrab·bles) |
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| Definition: |
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1. act of scratching: a scraping or scratching at something with short hurried movements of the fingers, toes, or claws
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2. a search with fingers: a frantic groping around in an effort to find something
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3. hasty climb: a climb up or over something, performed hastily or clumsily
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4. desperate struggle: a desperate struggle to acquire or gain something
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5. scribbling: a scribbling of something
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6. something scribbled: something that somebody has scribbled
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| [Mid-16th century. < Middle Dutch schrabbelen "scratch repeatedly" < schrabben "scratch, scrape"] |
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| scrab·bler noun |
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