scramble
scramble — verb
- scramblepresent simple I / you / we / they
- scrambleshe / she / it
- scrambledpast simple
- scrambling-ing form
1. to move yourself across rough or steep ground in a hurry, often grabbing the gro
to move yourself across rough or steep ground in a hurry, often grabbing the ground with your hands as well as your feet because the surface is slippery, loose, or hard to climb.
Yael scrambled up the rocky slope behind the temple to get a better view of the valley.
scramble up + slope/hill (climbing path)
The hikers scrambled over fallen logs and wet stones to reach the waterfall before sunset.
scramble over + obstacle (rough terrain)
Pim scrambled down the muddy riverbank, using both hands to keep from sliding into the water.
scramble down + with hands (steep descent)
Two small goats scrambled across the ruined wall behind the farmhouse.
subject can be animal; scramble across
When the alarm sounded, Paloma scrambled out of bed and ran into the hallway.
scramble out of + place (sudden urgent movement)
- scramble up a slope
- scramble down a bank
- scramble over rocks
- scramble out of bed
- scramble to one's feet
Grammar Patterns
scramble + up/down/over/across/through + place
Usage Note
Almost always combined with a directional preposition (up, down, over, across, through, out of). The image is of a body fighting the ground, not a smooth controlled walk.
Common Mistakes
2. when several people all want the same limited thing at the same time, to push, r
when several people all want the same limited thing at the same time, to push, run, or work hard against the others so that you are the one who ends up with it.
Investors scrambled for the few remaining shares in the new electric-bike company.
scramble for + scarce resource
After the announcement, parents scrambled to enrol their children in the only bilingual class.
scramble to + infinitive (urgent competing action)
Reporters scrambled to interview the witness before the police took her away.
scramble to + infinitive; competition with time pressure
When the truck driver threw out the spoiled fruit, hungry birds scrambled for whatever fell to the ground.
subject can be a group of animals
Five start-ups are now scrambling for the same small slice of the office-furniture market.
scramble for + market/share (business register)
- scramble for tickets
- scramble for jobs
- scramble for funding
- scramble to find
- scramble to catch up
Grammar Patterns
scramble for + thing
scramble to + verb
Usage Note
Subject is usually plural — a group competing against each other. Distinguish from sense 1 (CLIMB QUICKLY): here the meaning is about competition, not physical climbing, even though both ideas of urgent effort are present.
Common Mistakes
3. to put together the people, money, or supplies you need for something at the las
to put together the people, money, or supplies you need for something at the last minute, in a rough and untidy way, because there is not enough time to do it properly.
Quinn scrambled a small team together in two days to cover the flooding in the south.
scramble + group + together (last-minute assembly)
The charity scrambled enough donations to keep the soup kitchen open through the winter.
scramble + funds/donations (last-minute resourcing)
Yuki scrambled a simple birthday cake from whatever was left in the fridge.
scramble + product + from + leftovers (improvised result)
The factory manager scrambled three replacement parts together before the morning shift started.
scramble + parts (urgent improvised fix)
Femi scrambled an apology speech the night before the council meeting.
scramble + speech/document (rushed creation)
- scramble a team together
- scramble a coalition
- scramble funds
- scramble a deal
- scramble a response
- throw together
very informal phrasal verb with the same improvised feel
- cobble together
stresses uneven quality of the result more than the speed
Grammar Patterns
scramble (together) + noun
scramble + noun + together
Usage Note
Object is typically something the speaker wishes they had had more time to prepare — a plan, a team, a meal, a sum of money. Often co-occurs with 'together' to stress the improvised quality.
4. to take a set of letters, words, sentences, or pieces and put them into a random
to take a set of letters, words, sentences, or pieces and put them into a random order so that the original meaning or picture is lost.
The puzzle game scrambles the letters of a country's name and asks the player to put them back in order.
scramble + letters of [name] (word puzzle frame)
Élise's three-year-old had scrambled the photographs in the family album.
scramble + ordered set (lose intended sequence)
The fever scrambled Mert's thoughts so badly that he kept calling his sister by the wrong name.
scramble + thoughts/memories (figurative)
The lines of the poem were scrambled, and students had to rearrange them on the board.
passive: be scrambled (classroom task)
A child had scrambled the wooden tiles on the kitchen floor, so the word no longer made sense.
scramble + tiles/pieces (visible disorder)
- scramble the letters
- scramble the order
- scramble the words
- scramble somebody's thoughts
Grammar Patterns
scramble + letters/words/sentences
Usage Note
Frequently passive in instruction texts ('the words have been scrambled'). The result is meaningful pieces in a meaningless order, not destruction of the pieces themselves.
Common Mistakes
5. to cook eggs (or a similar food such as tofu) by breaking them into a hot pan an
to cook eggs (or a similar food such as tofu) by breaking them into a hot pan and stirring them as they cook, so that the white and the yellow mix into one soft yellow mixture.
Tanvi scrambled four eggs with a little butter for the family's Sunday breakfast.
scramble + eggs + with + ingredient
Christopher scrambled some tofu with onions and turmeric for his vegan housemate.
scramble + tofu (alternative ingredient)
If you scramble the eggs over a low heat, they stay soft and creamy.
imperative + cooking-tip register
Théo scrambled the last two eggs and slid them onto a slice of toast.
scramble + eggs (basic kitchen routine)
The school cook scrambled enough eggs to feed sixty children before the morning bell.
scramble + large quantity (bulk cooking)
- scramble eggs
- scramble tofu
- scrambled eggs on toast
- softly scrambled eggs
Grammar Patterns
scramble + eggs/tofu
Usage Note
The past participle 'scrambled' often acts as a noun-modifier — 'scrambled eggs', 'scrambled tofu'. The verb itself is everyday cooking vocabulary.
6. to electronically rearrange a phone, radio, or television signal so that anyone
to electronically rearrange a phone, radio, or television signal so that anyone who hears it without the right decoding equipment will get only noise instead of the real message.
Embassies routinely scramble their phone lines so that foreign agents cannot listen in.
scramble + phone lines (security register)
The radio broadcast was scrambled in regions where the government had banned the station.
passive: be scrambled in + region
Jason's research lab uses a small device to scramble its video calls during patent discussions.
scramble + video calls (modern tech scenario)
Pay-TV companies scramble premium channels so that only paying customers can decode them.
scramble + channels (broadcast business context)
- scramble a signal
- scramble a phone call
- scramble a transmission
- scramble a channel
- decode
to recover the original signal
- unscramble
the direct opposite verb
Grammar Patterns
scramble + signal/transmission/message
Usage Note
Subject is usually an organization or a piece of equipment, not a private person. Often appears in security, military, or broadcasting contexts.
7. to send military planes into the air, or to take off in a military plane, in a g
to send military planes into the air, or to take off in a military plane, in a great hurry because of an immediate threat or alert.
Two fighter jets scrambled from the coastal base when the unknown aircraft entered the area.
intransitive: jets + scramble + from + base
The air force scrambled four planes within minutes of the radar warning.
transitive: scramble + planes (military command)
Mira watched the pilots scramble across the runway and climb into their cockpits.
scramble + across + runway (intransitive movement)
Helicopters were scrambled to rescue the climbers stranded on the north face of the mountain.
passive: be scrambled to + infinitive (rescue context)
- scramble fighter jets
- scramble a helicopter
- be scrambled to intercept
Grammar Patterns
scramble + jets/fighters
jets scramble
Usage Note
Almost always about military or rescue aircraft. The point is the emergency speed, not the simple act of taking off.
8. in American football, for the quarterback to run with the ball after defenders b
in American football, for the quarterback to run with the ball after defenders break past the players who were supposed to protect him, instead of throwing a pass as planned.
Brandon scrambled out of the pocket and ran fifteen yards for a first down.
scramble + out of the pocket (signature pattern)
The young quarterback scrambled to the left and threw the ball just before being tackled.
scramble + to + side + then pass
Whenever the offensive line broke down, Nora's brother scrambled toward the sideline to save the play.
scramble + toward + sideline (play-saving move)
The coach told reporters that his quarterback would scramble less and stay in the pocket more this season.
scramble + less (coaching commentary)
- scramble out of the pocket
- scramble for yards
- scramble to one's left
- scramble to one's right
Grammar Patterns
quarterback + scramble + adverb of direction
Usage Note
Specialised American-football usage. Subject is almost always 'the quarterback' or his name. Distinguish from sense 1: this is one quarterback breaking out of a planned play, not climbing rough ground.
scramble — noun
- scramblesingular
- scramblesplural
1. a journey on foot over rough or steep ground that is hard enough to need your ha
a journey on foot over rough or steep ground that is hard enough to need your hands as well as your feet, somewhere between an easy walk and a real rock climb.
The last stretch to the summit is a short scramble over loose stones.
a scramble + over + surface
Abigail described the path behind the lighthouse as a steep scramble rather than a hike.
scramble vs. hike (contrast for difficulty)
After lunch the group faced a half-hour scramble up a wet, mossy slope.
a + duration + scramble + up + slope
Kasia's grandfather still enjoys an easy scramble in the hills behind his village every weekend.
easy scramble (modifier: difficulty)
- a steep scramble
- a short scramble
- a tough scramble
- clamber
rarer as a noun; same hands-and-feet image
Grammar Patterns
a scramble + up/over/across + place
Usage Note
Counts as a noun for an activity, not a place. British walking culture uses this word frequently to describe a route grade between a hike and a climb.
2. a rushed and rather messy series of actions in which a person or group tries to
a rushed and rather messy series of actions in which a person or group tries to do everything they need to do in much less time than they would like.
Mornings at the Benjamin household are a daily scramble to find shoes, lunches, and homework.
a scramble to + multi-action infinitive
There was a last-minute scramble to print the conference programme before the doors opened.
last-minute scramble + to + infinitive
The flood warning set off a scramble to move livestock to higher ground.
set off + a scramble (cause-and-effect frame)
After the singer cancelled, there was a frantic scramble to find a replacement for the gala.
frantic/last-minute + scramble (intensifying adjective)
- a mad scramble
- a frantic scramble
- a last-minute scramble
- a daily scramble
Grammar Patterns
a scramble to + verb
Usage Note
Typically modified by an adjective that emphasises the rushed feeling — 'mad', 'frantic', 'last-minute', 'daily'.
3. a situation in which a lot of people are all trying at once to get some limited
a situation in which a lot of people are all trying at once to get some limited thing, by pushing, competing, or moving as fast as they can.
The new housing project triggered a scramble for cheap apartments near the train station.
a scramble for + scarce resource
Rodrigo's photo captured the scramble for seats on the last train out of the city.
the scramble for + seats (concrete crowd scene)
The court ruling set off a scramble for new lawyers across three different states.
set off + a scramble for + group
Falling oil prices led to a sudden scramble for safer investments among small banks.
led to + a scramble for + abstract resource (business)
- a scramble for tickets
- a scramble for seats
- a scramble for jobs
- a scramble for resources
Grammar Patterns
a scramble for + thing
Usage Note
Almost always followed by 'for' + the thing being competed for. Distinguish from sense 2 (RUSH): there the rush is about getting tasks done; here the rush is about beating others to a limited supply.
4. a motorcycle race held on rough country ground full of hills, mud, and sharp tur
a motorcycle race held on rough country ground full of hills, mud, and sharp turns, where riders compete on lightweight off-road bikes.
Anya entered her first scramble at the age of sixteen, riding her older cousin's bike.
enter + a scramble (race event)
The Sunday scramble at the old quarry drew riders from three neighbouring counties.
the + day + scramble + at + venue
Heavy rain turned the weekend scramble into a slow battle through deep mud.
scramble + into + chaotic conditions
Local clubs still hold a small scramble every spring, mostly for young teenage riders.
hold + a scramble (organising event)
- enter a scramble
- hold a scramble
- a motorcycle scramble
- motocross
the standard international term; preferred in most modern writing
Grammar Patterns
a scramble
scramble + event
Usage Note
Mainly British English. Largely replaced by the international term 'motocross' in most modern sports writing.
5. a hot dish made by stirring eggs (or tofu) in a pan with other ingredients such
a hot dish made by stirring eggs (or tofu) in a pan with other ingredients such as vegetables, cheese, or herbs, served as one soft yellow mixture rather than as a flat omelette.
The café serves a goat-cheese scramble with thick brown toast for weekend brunch.
ingredient + scramble + with + side
Yuki ordered a vegetable scramble with mushrooms and spinach.
vegetable scramble + with + ingredients
Femi's tofu scramble has become a small favourite at the neighbourhood food market.
tofu scramble (vegan variant)
Sunday lunch at Paloma's mother's house always starts with a chorizo scramble.
ingredient + scramble (regional dish name)
- a tofu scramble
- a vegetable scramble
- a cheese scramble
- a breakfast scramble
Grammar Patterns
a + ingredient + scramble
Usage Note
Most common in restaurant menus and cookbooks; in everyday speech people are more likely to say 'scrambled eggs' (sense 5 of the verb).
Word family
- scramblernounC1
- scrambledadjectiveB1
- unscrambleverbC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four verbs describe moving up or over something with effort, but they picture different bodies in different situations. 'Climb' is the neutral general term — you can climb stairs, a ladder, or a mountain, with or without using your hands. 'Scramble' adds urgency and rough ground: the climber is in a hurry and the surface is loose, steep, or wet, so feet alone won't do. 'Clamber' shares the hands-and-feet image but loses the urgency; it suggests slow, awkward, even clumsy movement, often by a child or an older person. 'Scrabble' shifts the focus to the hands themselves — fingers grabbing at a surface in search of grip — and often implies the climber is failing or slipping. So a hiker scrambles up a slope to catch the sunset, a toddler clambers onto a sofa, and a falling climber scrabbles at the rock for any hold.
Common collocations
Etymology
The verb appeared in English in the mid-1500s, probably as a noisy, expressive cousin of older verbs like 'scrabble' (to scratch with the fingers) and 'scrape'. From its first meaning — to push or claw with hands and feet — English speakers extended it to any urgent, untidy effort: a struggle through rough ground, a fight in a crowd for limited goods, a rushed cooking method that stirs eggs as they cook, and, in the 20th century, the deliberate technical disordering of radio and phone signals.