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   Scrab·ble

   /ˈskrab(ə)l/

   

   verb

   • 1. scratch or grope around with one's fingers to find, collect, or hold on to something: "she scrabbled at the grassy slope, desperate for a firm grip"
   • ▪ (of an animal) scratch at something with its claws: "a dog was scrabbling at the door"
   • ▪ scramble or crawl quickly: "lizards scrabbling across the walls"
   • ▪ make great efforts to get somewhere or achieve something: "I had to scrabble around to find this apartment"

   noun

   • 1. an act of scratching or scrambling for something: "he heard the scrabble of claws behind him"
   • 2. a board game in which players use lettered tiles to create words in a crossword fashion. trademark

   Word Origin mid 16th century (in the sense ‘make marks at random, scrawl’): from Middle Dutch schrabbelen, frequentative of schrabben ‘to scrape’. The noun sense ‘struggle to achieve something’ is originally a North American usage dating from the late 18th century.

   Derivatives

   • 1. scrabbler noun

   Scrabble Points: 14

   • S

     1

   • C

     3

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • B

     3

   • B

     3

   • L

     1

   • E

     1

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