1
as in throng
a great number of persons or creatures massed together
I had to fight my way through the scrum of holiday shoppers at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
when the server spilled a drink on a customer, they got into a bit of a scrum before being separated
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bedlam
British
a place of uproar or confusion
London's tube is quite a scrum during rush hour
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrum
Earlier this month, prosecutors brought charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), accusing her of assaulting law enforcement during a scrum outside of a New Jersey detention facility.
—
Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 19 June 2025
Lundell was in the box for roughing after a scrum at the end of the first period, and Corey Perry — who scored the game-tying goal late in Game 2 — scored from point-blank range to cut Edmonton’s deficit to one early in the period.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
While the linemen push forward, the quarterback is then pushed from behind by a tight end and a running back, akin to a scrum in rugby.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
Sensing further trouble, Zubac rushed over and pulled Gordon out of the scrum as the Nuggets coaches stopped it from escalating.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrum
Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 19 June 2025
Lundell was in the box for roughing after a scrum at the end of the first period, and Corey Perry — who scored the game-tying goal late in Game 2 — scored from point-blank range to cut Edmonton’s deficit to one early in the period.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
While the linemen push forward, the quarterback is then pushed from behind by a tight end and a running back, akin to a scrum in rugby.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
Sensing further trouble, Zubac rushed over and pulled Gordon out of the scrum as the Nuggets coaches stopped it from escalating.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrum
Noun
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Last season, before the final home series, Getz spoke to a throng of media inside the tunnels of Rate Field in Chicago.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
7 July 2025
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Along with the headline-grabbing job culls in the federal government which began earlier this year, a throng of companies have already laid off workers so far in 2025, including Microsoft, UPS, Dell, BP and others.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
Noun
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Yet Villa were short of cash and the lack of financial headroom brought skirmishes with profit and sustainability rules (PSR).—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
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Could a Stronger Federal System Have Prevented the Texas Disaster and is this even the question to ask? America’s approach to disaster relief has long been one of the recurring skirmishes in the larger political theatre of governance.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
To be fair, Fox didn’t have to search hard for bedlam.—
Max Taves,
Mercury News,
11 June 2025
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No disrespect to those who missed it, but those early screenings of Roland Emmerich's Independence Day were barely contained bedlam.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
4 July 2025
Noun
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Major matchups featuring top draft picks like Cooper Flagg might draw a more partisan crowd, but the rest of the tournament is made for milling about.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
Jordynne Grace Blake Monroe cornered Jordynne Grace, who was a very popular with the Atlanta crowd.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Steve Garcia When the betting odds were first published for the Calvin Kattar vs. Steve Garcia featherweight clash, Garcia was listed as a -140 betting favorite over the +115 Kattar.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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President Donald Trump broke his silence one day after reports of a clash between U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino about the release of a memo regarding Jeffrey Epstein, which prompted conservatives on social media to call for the president to fire her.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
Noun
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The madhouse of awards season and all its many, many controversies — not to mention an ongoing parade of natural and man-made disasters — has until now perhaps overshadowed some of the year’s lower-stakes joys.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
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But things move fast in the Goodison madhouse.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The floor is peppered with spare knee pads and helmets, and a swarm of roller derby players outfitted in protective armor congregate in the center of the warehouse.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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If a task can be performed in more than one way by equal peers working together—much in the way an ant colony or swarm of bees works—then the system is resistant to censorship and hardware faults and has service continuity due to economic sustainability.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Noun
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His 2014 film The Grave tells the story of a man who hears about the discovery of a mass grave and escapes from a nursing home to confront his past on the site of the Battle of the Ebro, the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 July 2025
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Potter faces a battle to restore optimism among the fanbase.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrum. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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