verb
scramble
To disrupt an orderly arrangement by mixing.
The game scrambles the letters before you guess the word.
Etymology
Scramble developed senses of hurried, disordered movement and mixing. The transitive use applies that disorder to an arrangement whose original order is disrupted.
More examples
- The update scrambled the order of my photos.
- She scrambles two eggs in a skillet for breakfast.
- The device scrambles outgoing signals to prevent eavesdropping.
Forms
scramble · scrambles · scrambled · scrambling
scrambler noun — A device that makes signals unintelligible.