verb / noun

scrabble

SKRAB-ul/ˈskræbl/

An urgent struggle to reach or gain something by scrambling or clawing.

She scrabbles beneath the bench for the dropped key.

An older Black woman kneels beside a low bench, hurriedly groping with both hands beneath it for a dropped key just beyond her fingertips.

Etymology

Dutch schrabbelen expresses repeated scratching. English first used the word for scrawling or making random marks, then extended it to scraping or pawing with the hands or claws.

More examples

He scrabbled up the slope.
A desperate scrabble followed.
They are scrabbling for a foothold.

Forms

scrabble · scrabbles · scrabbled · scrabbling

Similar words

scramble: Moves hurriedly or struggles without necessarily clawing.
grope: Feels around without seeing clearly.