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Definition of scramble verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

scramble

verb
 
/ˈskræmbl/
 
/ˈskræmbl/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they scramble
 
/ˈskræmbl/
 
/ˈskræmbl/
he / she / it scrambles
 
/ˈskræmblz/
 
/ˈskræmblz/
past simple scrambled
 
/ˈskræmbld/
 
/ˈskræmbld/
past participle scrambled
 
/ˈskræmbld/
 
/ˈskræmbld/
-ing form scrambling
 
/ˈskræmblɪŋ/
 
/ˈskræmblɪŋ/
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    walk/climb

  1. [intransitive] + adv./prep. to move quickly, especially with difficulty, using your hands to help you synonym clamber
    • She managed to scramble over the wall.
    • He scrambled to his feet as we came in.
    • They finally scrambled ashore.
    • He scrambled up the cliff and raced towards the car.
    Extra Examples
    • He scrambled up the stairs.
    • They scrambled frantically over the piles of debris.
    • We scrambled for cover and hid underneath the truck.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • desperately
    • frantically
    • quickly
    verb + scramble
    • manage to
    preposition
    • down
    • into
    • out of
    phrases
    • scramble for cover
    • scramble to your feet
    • scramble to safety
    See full entry
  2. push/fight

  3. [intransitive] to push, fight or compete with others in order to get or to reach something
    • scramble for something The audience scrambled for the exits.
    • scramble to do something Shoppers were scrambling to get the best bargains.
  4. achieve something with difficulty

  5. [transitive] to manage to achieve something with difficulty, or in a hurry, without much control
    • scramble something Cork scrambled a 1–0 win over Sligo.
    • scramble something + adv./prep. Shaw managed to scramble the ball into the net.
  6. eggs

  7. [transitive, usually passive] scramble something to cook an egg by mixing the white and yellow parts together and heating them, sometimes with milk and butter
    • scrambled eggs
    Topics Cooking and eatingc2
  8. phone/radio

  9. [transitive, often passive] scramble something to change the way that a phone or radio message sounds so that only people with special equipment can understand it
    • scrambled satellite signals
  10. confuse thoughts

  11. [transitive] scramble something to confuse somebody’s thoughts, ideas, etc. so that they have no order
    • Alcohol seemed to have scrambled his brain.
  12. aircraft

  13. [transitive, usually passive, intransitive] scramble (something) to order that planes, etc. should take off immediately in an emergency; to take off immediately in an emergency
    • A helicopter was scrambled to help rescue three young climbers.
    • They scrambled as soon as the call came through.
  14. Word Originlate 16th cent.: imitative; compare with the dialect words scamble ‘stumble’ and cramble ‘crawl’.
See scramble in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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