SCRAMBLE


Meaning of SCRAMBLE in English

/ ˈskræmbl; NAmE / verb , noun

■ verb

WALK / CLIMB

1.

[ v + adv. / prep. ] to move quickly, especially with difficulty, using your hands to help you

SYN clamber :

She managed to scramble over the wall.

He scrambled to his feet as we came in.

PUSH / FIGHT

2.

scramble (for sth) to push, fight or compete with others in order to get or to reach sth :

[ v ]

The audience scrambled for the exits.

[ v to inf ]

Shoppers were scrambling to get the best bargains.

ACHIEVE STH WITH DIFFICULTY

3.

[ vn ] to manage to achieve sth with difficulty, or in a hurry, without much control :

Cork scrambled a 1–0 win over Monaghan.

Owen managed to scramble the ball into the net.

EGGS

4.

[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to cook an egg by mixing the white and yellow parts together and heating them, sometimes with milk and butter :

scrambled eggs

TELEPHONE / RADIO

5.

[ vn ] [ often passive ] to change the way that a telephone or radio message sounds so that only people with special equipment can understand it :

scrambled satellite signals

CONFUSE THOUGHTS

6.

[ vn ] to confuse sb's thoughts, ideas, etc. so that they have no order :

Alcohol seemed to have scrambled his brain.

AIRCRAFT

7.

[ usually passive ] to order that planes, etc. should take off immediately in an emergency; to take off immediately in an emergency :

[ vn ]

A helicopter was scrambled to help rescue three young climbers.

[ v ]

They scrambled as soon as the call came through.

■ noun

DIFFICULT WALK / CLIMB

1.

[ sing. ] a difficult walk or climb over rough ground, especially one in which you have to use your hands

PUSH / FIGHT

2.

[ sing. ] scramble (for sth) a situation in which people push, fight or compete with each other in order to get or do sth

SYN free for all :

There was a mad scramble for the best seats.

MOTORCYCLE RACE

3.

[ C ] a race for motorcycles over rough ground

••

WORD ORIGIN

late 16th cent.: imitative; compare with the dialect words scamble stumble and cramble crawl .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.