Definition of 'scramble'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense scrambles
, present participle scrambling
, past tense, past participle scrambled
1. verb
If you scramble over rocks or up a hill, you move quickly over them or up it using your hands to help you.
Tourists were scrambling over the rocks looking for the perfect camera angle. [VERB preposition/adverb]
3. verb
If a number of people scramble for something, they compete energetically with each other for it.
Scramble is also a noun.
4. verb
5. verb
If a device scrambles a radio or phone message, it interferes with the sound so that the message can only be understood by someone with special equipment.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
scramble in British English
verb
3. (intransitive; often foll by for)
to compete with others, esp in a disordered manner
to scramble for a prize
7. (transitive)
8. military
to order (a crew or aircraft) to take off immediately or (of a crew or aircraft) to take off immediately
9. (transitive)
noun
10.
the act of scrambling
11.
a climb over rocks that involves the use of the hands but not ropes, etc
12.
a disorderly struggle, esp to gain possession
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C16: blend of scrabble and rampWord Frequency
scramble in American English
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈscrambled or ˈscrambling
1.
to climb, crawl, or clamber hurriedly
3.
to scramble for political office
4.
to get military aircraft into the air quickly
verb transitive
6.
a.
to throw together haphazardly; mix in a confused way; jumble
b. Electronics
to modify (transmitted auditory or visual signals) so as to make unintelligible without special receiving equipment
9.
to order or get (military aircraft) into the air quickly
noun
10.
a hard, hurried climb or advance, as over rough, difficult ground
11.
a disorderly struggle or rush, as for something prized
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
scrambler (ˈscrambler)
noun
Word Frequency
scramble in American English
(ˈskræmbəl) (verb -bled, -bling)
intransitive verb
1.
to climb or move quickly using one's hands and feet, as down a rough incline
2.
to compete or struggle with others for possession or gain
The children scrambled for the coins we tossed
3.
to move hastily and with urgency
She scrambled into her coat and ran out the door
transitive verb
5. (often fol. by together or up)
to collect or organize (things) in a hurried or disorderly manner
He scrambled the papers up from the desk
I scrambled the report together at the last minute
6.
to mix together confusedly
The teacher has hopelessly scrambled our names and faces
8.
to cook (eggs) in a pan while stirring, usually after mixing whites and yolks together
9.
to make (a radio or telephonic message) incomprehensible to interceptors by systematically changing the transmission frequencies
10.
noun
13.
a struggle for possession or gain
a scramble for choice seats in the stadium
14.
any disorderly or hasty struggle or proceeding
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1580–90; b. dial. scamble to stumble along, and scrabble (in the same sense)]Examples of 'scramble' in a sentence
scramble
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In other languages
scramble
British English: scramble
VERB /ˈskræmbl/
If you scramble over rocks or up a hill, you move quickly over them or up it using your hands to help you.
Tourists were scrambling over the rocks looking for the perfect camera angle.
- American English: scramble /sˈkræmbəl/
- Brazilian Portuguese: subir
- Chinese: 攀爬
- European Spanish: subir gateando
- French: avancer péniblement
- German: klettern
- Italian: inerpicarsi
- Japanese: よじ登る
- Korean: 기어오르다재빨리
- European Portuguese: subir
- Latin American Spanish: subir gateando
- Thai: ปีนป่าย, ตะกาย
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Definition of scramble from the Collins English Dictionary
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