v.
- move or make one's way quickly and awkwardly, typically by using one's hands as well as one's feet.
▸
informal act in a hurried, disorderly, or undignified manner:
firms scrambled to win public-sector contracts.
- (with reference to fighter aircraft) take off or cause to take off immediately in an emergency or for action.
- make or become jumbled or muddled.
▸cook (beaten eggs with a little liquid) in a pan.
- make (a broadcast transmission or telephone conversation) unintelligible unless received by an appropriate decoding device.
- American Football (of a quarterback) run with the ball behind the line of scrimmage, avoiding tackles.
n.
- an act of scrambling.
- a walk up steep terrain involving the use of one's hands.
- Brit. a motorcycle race over rough and hilly ground.
- a disordered mixture.
Etymology
C16: imitative; cf. the dial. words scamble ‘stumble’ and cramble ‘crawl’.