to scrabble
5
6.5
- verb
- /ˈskræbəl/
:
buscar a tientas
- The Corpsegrinder reared up to smash me down, and I scrabbled desperately away.
- scrabbled around
- hands scrabbling
- scrabble for purchase
Examples
-
I hurried down the far line of bulbs, scrabbling over the whitewashed stones, and met Pete in the middle.
Fiction book (1995) -
There he knelt and scrabbled and sifted sand through his fingers vaguely for a while.
Fiction book (1990) -
I was gonna go up and scrabble round trying to find a DJ.
-
So I was scrabbling around on the floor looking for crumbs in the carpet.
-
"Sam!" Annie called, scrabbling futilely at the side of the box.
Fiction book (1998) -
Hamish then went to the bathroom and scrabbled in the kitchen cabinet, looking for aspirin and found none.
Fiction book (1998) -
Just under his feet, he could hear sounds: the creatures scrabbling under the ground, the pup whimpering.
Fiction book (1997) -
Tom could hear Kinnock cursing and scrabbling in the debris with his uninjured arm.
Fiction book (1992) -
He had to scrabble through the mess on the desk to find his car keys.
-
The child scrabbled in the dirt, trying to uncover hidden treasures.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
To use your hands to find something when you cannot see it
39
4.8
To move your hands clumsily while trying to find something
21
6.3
To feel for something with your hands when you cannot see
7
3.5
Touch things with your hands to find something, often when it is dark
6
7.1
To feel with your hands to find something in the dark
Compounds
How Hurried
Surface Forms
Etymology
Scrabble originally meant 'to scratch' or 'to grope', a bit like when you scramble in the dark to find something. So to scrabble for your keys or phone is to search awkwardly and quickly with your hands.