scrum

noun

ˈskrəm 

1

a

or scrummage

ˈskrə-mij 

: a rugby play in which the forwards of each side come together in a tight formation and struggle to gain possession of the ball using their feet when it is tossed in among them

also : the arrangement of players in a scrum

b

: a usually brief and disorderly struggle or fight : scrape, scuffle

2

a

British : madhouse sense 2

b

: a usually tightly packed or disorderly crowd : throng

scrummage intransitive verb

Synonyms

• army
• bike [chiefly Scottish]
• cram
• crowd
• crush
• drove
• flock
• herd
• horde
• host
• legion
• mass
• mob
• multitude
• press
• rout
• swarm
• throng

Examples of scrum in a Sentence

I had to fight my way through the scrum of holiday shoppers at the mall.

when the server spilled a drink on a customer, they got into a bit of a scrum before being separated

Recent Examples on the Web

After the scrum, Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk and Edmonton’s Brett Kulak went to the penalty box for roughing, setting up a four-on-four. —Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2024

Midway through the second, a scrum broke out in Florida’s end after an Edmonton goal was called off when the referees ruled the whistle was blown before the Oilers’ Connor Brown tried to get a loose puck past Sergei Bobrovsky. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 June 2024

At 11:25 in the first period, a huge scrum broke out around the Hurricanes’ net. —Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 10 May 2024

Things starting to get feisty A scrum broke out after an Edmonton goal was called off after the referees ruled the whistle was blown before the Oilers’ Connor Brown tried to get a loose puck past Sergei Bobrovsky. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a