From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishscrabblescrab‧ble /ˈskræbəl/ verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] LOOK FORto try to find or do something very quickly, usually by moving your hands or feet in an uncontrolled wayscrabble for He scrabbled for the light switch.scrabble around/about She was scrabbling around, searching for the door.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
scrabble• He inserted his hands into the mud, and scrabbled.• Curious, I began scrabbling about with my foot, to see what it was.• He scrabbled and flung refuse this way and that and finally he turned his eyes upward.• She was scrabbling around, searching for the door-lock.• Perhaps you're less well-prepared, with fewer resources and had to scrabble around to find your college place through Clearing?• The horse moved on to unsound ground, feeling the danger and scrabbling for a foothold.• There were no masses of poor crushed together in fetid slums, scrabbling for every crust.scrabble around/about• But they're gone, and you're scrabbling around for work.• I saw you from the doorway scrabbling around like a maniac.• She was scrabbling around, searching for the door-lock.• Willie and Zach waited at the foot of the ladder while Sammy scrabbled around the first rung.• Perhaps you're less well-prepared, with fewer resources and had to scrabble around to find your college place through Clearing?• Curious, I began scrabbling about with my foot, to see what it was.• But with everyone listening intently, there followed what seemed like hours of scrabbling around with my paper looking for page two.ScrabbleScrabble noun [uncountable] trademark DGBa game in which players try to make words from the separate letters they haveExamples from the Corpus
Scrabble• The inlaid chequerboard top of the coffee table houses all kind of games, including backgammon, chess and Scrabble.• In the quieter moments Scrabble might be the order of the day.• Back at the Agra Hotel we ordered coffee to warm up and started a game of Scrabble.• Ruth and I played a spiritless game of Scrabble.• The patient with mild speech and comprehension problems may enjoy playing Scrabble itself.• The three of them playing Scrabble on the floor of the lounge.• Expect Siberian Scrabble next, the coolest game of all.• You would still need to take some Travel Scrabble to make the walk more interesting.Origin scrabble (1500-1600) Dutch schrabbelen “to scratch” 