Meaning of scramble In English

• 0 to move or climb quickly but with difficulty, often using your hands to help you:

  • She scrambled up the steep hillside and over the rocks.

  • He scrambled into his clothes (= put them on quickly) and raced to get help.

  • As the burning plane landed, the terrified passengers scrambled for the door (= tried to reach the door quickly).

  • [ + to infinitive ] People are scrambling to buy property before prices rise even further.

• 1 to put things such as words or letters in the wrong order so that they do not make sense:

  • He had a habit of scrambling his words when excited.

• 2 to change a radio or phone signal so that it can only be understood using a special device

• 3 to (cause a plane to) take off very quickly:

  • A helicopter was scrambled within minutes of the news.

• 4 a climb that is difficult so that you have to use your hands to help you:

  • It was a real scramble to the top of the hillside.

• 5 an act of hurrying:

  • [ + to infinitive ] As soon as the plane landed there was a mad/wild scramble to get out.

  • After the death of the dictator there was an unseemly scramble for power among the generals.

• 6 a motocross event:

  • We're planning a scramble through the forest next weekend.

• 7 a dish of eggs and other foods such as potatoes that are mixed as they are being fried:

  • a Mexican scramble (= eggs with hot peppers, etc.)

  • a potato-sausage scramble

• 8 to move or climb quickly but with difficulty, often using the hands:

  • She scrambled to safety away from the fighting.

  • [ + to infinitive ] fig. Poultry farmers scrambled (= worked hard and fast) to provide water to their flocks as pipes burst in Georgia’s coldest weather this century.

• 9 to mix together and cook the transparent and yellow parts of eggs:

  • We had bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast.

• 10 to change a radio or telephone signal while it is being sent so that it cannot be understood without a special device

• 11 an act of moving or climbing quickly:

  • fig. There was a mad scramble (= many people moving at once) for the best seats in the theater.