1a difficult or hurried clamber up or over something:an undignified scramble over the wall
a mountain walk up steep terrain involving the use of one’s hands:the route gives an excellent scramble up on to the narrow summit ridge
British a motorcycle race over rough and hilly ground:a local landowner allowed some kids to hold a motorbike scramble in the woods
an eager or uncontrolled and undignified struggle with others to obtain or achieve something:I lost Tommy in the scramble for a seat
2an emergency take-off by fighter aircraft:the scramble might be a training exercise or it might not
3a disordered mixture of things:the girl’s mouth was a scramble of orthodontist’s hardware
ზმნა
Universal
1 [no object, with adverbial of direction] make one’s way quickly or awkwardly up a steep gradient or over rough ground by using one’s hands as well as one’s feet:we scrambled over the damp boulders
move hurriedly or clumsily from or into a particular place or position:she scrambled out of the carI tried to scramble to my feet
(scramble into) put (clothes) on hurriedly:Robbie scrambled into jeans and a T-shirt
[with object] informal perform (an action) or achieve (a result) hurriedly, clumsily, or with difficulty:Cork scrambled a 1-0 win over Monaghan
[with infinitive] struggle or compete with others for something in an eager or uncontrolled and undignified way:firms scrambled to win public-sector contracts
2 [with object] order (a fighter aircraft or its pilot) to take off immediately in an emergency or for action:the Hurricanes were scrambled again, this time meeting Italian fighters
[no object] (of a fighter aircraft or its pilot) take off for emergency action:as the jet headed towards Italian airspace, two F104 fighters scrambled from a base in Sicily to intercept it
3 [with object] make (something) jumbled or muddled:maybe the alcohol has scrambled his brains
cook (eggs) by beating them with a little liquid and then cooking and stirring them gently:you may have your eggs scrambled or boiled
make (a broadcast transmission or telephone conversation) unintelligible unless received by an appropriate decoding device:the signal is scrambled into code
4 [no object] American Football (of a quarterback) run with the ball behind the line of scrimmage, avoiding tackles:McNabb scrambled in the third quarter and threw a touchdown pass to Maddox
