scramble
[verb]
Synonyms:
- struggle, climb, crawl, scrabble, swarm
- strive, contend, jostle, push, run, rush, vie
[noun]
Synonyms:
- climb, trek
- struggle, commotion, competition, confusion, melee or mêlée, race, rush, tussle

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Related Words: scurry, scuttle, conglomeration

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English Thesaurus: climb, ascend, go up, scale, clamber, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. scram‧ble¹ /ˈskræmbəl/ verb
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: Perhaps from scrabble]

1. CLIMB [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to climb up, down, or over something quickly and with difficulty, especially using your hands to help you
scramble up/down/over etc
They tried to scramble up the cliff.
She scrambled down the tree as quickly as she could.

2. MOVE QUICKLY [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move somewhere in a hurried awkward way
scramble to/out/from etc
Alan scrambled out of the way.
Micky scrambled to his feet (=stood up very quickly and awkwardly) and hurried into the kitchen.

3. DO SOMETHING QUICKLY [transitive] to try to do something difficult very quickly
scramble to do something
They were scrambling to give the impression that the situation was under control.

4. COMPETE [intransitive] to struggle or compete with other people to get or reach something
scramble for
Thousands of people will be scrambling for tickets.

5. INFORMATION/MESSAGE [transitive] to use special equipment to mix messages, radio signals etc into a different form, so that they cannot be understood by other people without the correct equipment:
Our conversation will be electronically scrambled.

6. MIX [transitive] to mix words, ideas, sentences etc so that they are not in the right order and do not make sense:
The words in each sentence are scrambled.

7. scramble an egg to cook an egg by mixing the white and yellow parts together and heating it in a pan

8. scramble sb’s brains informal to make someone unable to think clearly or reasonably:
Maybe the alcohol has scrambled his brains.

9. AIRCRAFT [intransitive] if a military plane scrambles, it goes up into the air very quickly in order to escape or to attack an enemy

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. scramble² noun

1. [singular] a difficult climb in which you have to use your hands to help you:
The village was a 20-minute scramble away.

2. [singular] a situation in which people compete with and push each other in order to get what they want
scramble for
the usual scramble for the bathroom every morning
scramble to do something
a scramble to carry the baggage into the house

3. [singular] a situation in which something has to be done very quickly, with a lot of rushing around:
It was a mad scramble trying to get things ready in time.

4. [countable] British English a motorcycle race over rough ground

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

scramble
noun
ADJ. difficult, steep | desperate, mad, undignified, wild There was a mad scramble for the exits.
PREP. in a/the ~ I lost my sister in the scramble for a seat.
~ down, over, up, etc. an undignified scramble down the slope
~ for a scramble for tickets for the game

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

scramble
verb
ADV. frantically They scrambled frantically over the piles of debris.
awkwardly | away, back
VERB + SCRAMBLE manage to
PREP. down, into, out of, over, through, up, etc. She managed to scramble over the wall.
PHRASES scramble to your feet He scrambled awkwardly to his feet.
scramble to safety

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

climb to move up, down, or across something using your hands and feet:
Most kids love climbing trees.
Several fans climbed onto the roof of the arena to get a better view.
She climbed down the ladder.
ascend formal to climb up something:
He began to ascend the narrow winding staircase.
the first man to ascend Mount Everest
go up to climb up something such as a slope or stairs:
He went up the steps to the platform.
Sonia was quiet as they went up the hill.
scale formal to climb to the top of something such as a high wall or fence:
Somehow the men had scaled the twenty-foot wall without setting off the alarm.
Protestors scaled the walls of the building and hung banners.
Rescuers had to scale a one-thousand-foot cliff before they could reach the injured climber.
clamber to climb somewhere with difficulty, using your hands to help you:
At last we saw the two girls clambering down the slope to safety.
Everyone clambered onto the back of the truck.
scramble to climb somewhere quickly and with difficulty, using your hands to help you, especially when you are walking:
They scrambled up the steep rocky bank.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲