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

Cellos and basses then took up that figure with lusty force, like a rugby scrum pushing downfield. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

McNeill was caught in a scrum on just the fourth defensive play of the night and was pulled from the game by officials. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024

The race to replace controversial Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes has become a multi-party scrum, with a former Libertarian running as a Democrat and a former Republican running with the more progressive United Utah Party. —Erin Alberty, Axios, 16 Oct. 2024

Late in the third period of the game, Mr. Mild Mannered started shoving and punching Blues forward Zack Bolduc, setting off a scrum. —Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a