1
as in scrawling
to write or draw hastily or carelessly
she scribbled a quick note on the pad by the door before leaving
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2
as in writing
to compose and set down on paper the words of
he scribbled a quick note to his wife and taped it to the front door
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scribbling
Pumping his fist and scribbling notes Mangione stayed active throughout the hearing, taking notes, reading documents, conferring with his lawyers and occasionally looking back toward his two-dozen or so supporters in the courtroom gallery.
—
Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
Loureiro was a popular teacher, engaging with students and scribbling numbers and figures on a white board like a physicist would be portrayed in the movies, according to Bruno Gonçalves, a plasma physicist and former colleague.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Will seems to be perpetually scribbling one play after another by candlelight, then drifting off to London to pitch his shows to an emerging disarray of theatrical producers — aspiring manipulators who have money and titles as well as risky political entanglements.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
One story of the Desert Fathers recounts a sighting of a demon perched on the top of the monastery, busily scribbling down all the faults of the brothers within.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Simon managed to keep scribbling on his yellow legal pad but his handwriting, illegible on a good day, quickly deteriorated into nothing more than chicken scratch.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
People drift between venues, carrying tote bags, scribbling in notebooks, waiting in line for coffee or drinks.
—Javier Garcia Del Moral
september 26, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Morelo recounted hateful reactions to his art, including people smudging out and scribbling over his spots.
—Max Bacall , Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
No scribbling down notes in the margins of the character sheet or pausing game play to flip through the spell list again.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scribbling
Verb
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Chalamet invites his Instagram followers to meet him at Regal Times Square to watch the first 30 minutes of Marty Supreme by scrawling the message on his Instagram Story in orange.—
Verb
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Born to a long line of musicians and entertainers (their great-grandparents were vaudevillians), Gunnar and Matt started writing music at age 6, shooting to fame in their own right after launching hard rock duo Nelson in the early 1980s.—
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Billy Bob Thornton and Ariana Greenblatt are set to star in Somedays, a feature film that Brian Klugman is writing and directing.—
Verb
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The best vacuums for hardwood floors have a powerful cleaning performance without scratching or causing damage.—
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That pollen can fill the air, covers cars and cement, and can start noses running, eyes watering and throats scratching.—
Cite this Entry
“Scribbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scribbling. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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