scrabbling
Desperately grasping around
Scrabbling is frantic, clawing movement—scratching or scraping at a surface, often while struggling for grip or purchase: I could hear something scrabbling in the walls, She was scrabbling at the door handle.
The word suggests desperate or undignified effort: scrabbling for a foothold on the cliff, scrabbling to make ends meet.
It can also mean searching hastily through clutter: He was scrabbling around in the drawer for his keys.
Searching by moving things
- scratchingRaking with nails
- diggingRemoving earth below
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
- gropingSearching by touch alone
sifting · rooting · pawing · feeling · patting · hunting · ferreting · rifling
Scraping with hooked nails
- scrapingRubbing away material
- scratchingRaking with nails
- raspingHarsh and grating
- skitteringMoving with quick, light steps
scuttling · rodent · mice · rats · nails · paws · floorboards · walls
Scraping with hooked nails
- grippingHolding attention completely
- graspingGreedy for wealth
- clamberingAwkward, effortful climbing
- ascendingMoving upward
foothold · handhold · rockface · ledge · purchase · toehold · friction · slipping
Wildly anxious or desperate
- panickedOverwhelmed by sudden fear
- frenziedWildly out of control
- urgentNeeding immediate attention
- wildNot domesticated or controlled
flailing · grasping · clutching · struggling · thrashing · clinging · survival · purchase
Flat covering pieces
- board gameMarked-surface group entertainment
- anagramsLetter-rearranged word formations
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- tripleGroup of three
double · letters · rack · vocabulary · dictionary · points · score · blanks
rummaging
Searching by moving things
- scratchingRaking with nails
- diggingRemoving earth below
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
groping · sifting · rooting · pawing · feeling · patting · hunting · ferreting · rifling · blindly
clawing
Scraping with hooked nails
- scrapingRubbing away material
- scratchingRaking with nails
- raspingHarsh and grating
skittering · scuttling · rodent · mice · rats · nails · paws · floorboards · walls · attic
clawing
Scraping with hooked nails
- grippingHolding attention completely
- graspingGreedy for wealth
- clamberingAwkward, effortful climbing
ascending · foothold · handhold · rockface · ledge · purchase · toehold · friction · slipping · scaling
frantic
Wildly anxious or desperate
wild · flailing · grasping · clutching · struggling · thrashing · clinging · survival · purchase · slipping
tiles
Flat covering pieces
- board gameMarked-surface group entertainment
- anagramsLetter-rearranged word formations
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
triple · double · letters · rack · vocabulary · dictionary · points · score · blanks · bingo
- searchingsearching, rummaging, digging, looking through, finding
scrambled, scrabble, scrambling, unscramble, scrabbles, scrabbled, scramblers, scrambler, unscrambled