scribble1 verbscribble2 noun
scribblescrib‧ble1 /ˈskrɪbəl/ ●○○ verb 
Word OriginWORD ORIGINscribble1
Verb TableOrigin:
1400-1500 Medieval Latin scribillare, from Latin scribere; ➔ SCRIBEVERB TABLE
scribble
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | scribble |
| he, she, it | scribbles | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | scribbled |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have scribbled |
| he, she, it | has scribbled | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had scribbled |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will scribble |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have scribbled |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am scribbling |
| he, she, it | is scribbling | |
| you, we, they | are scribbling | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was scribbling |
| you, we, they | were scribbling | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been scribbling |
| he, she, it | has been scribbling | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been scribbling |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be scribbling |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been scribbling |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Andrew scribbled a quick note and handed it to the chairman.
- Ashley scribbled all over her bedroom walls in crayon.
- Katie can't draw a real picture yet but she enjoys scribbling with crayons.
- Oh no! One of the kids has scribbled all over my report!
- She scribbled her name on a slip of paper.
- Sorry, I scribbled her phone number down, and now I can't read my own writing!
- We'll all scribble down some suggestions, and then compare them.
- A chalkboard with scribbled house specials changes daily.
- And their dull appearance is often accompanied by teaching methods that consist mostly of scribbling graphs on a blackboard.
- He had scribbled notes to himself back in Los Angeles about baptismal dance scenes.
- He smiled earnestly, surveyed the room and scribbled away on the Offload page.
- Money for building was plentiful, as banks and other lenders competed to scribble checks to developers.
- Nevertheless, as the Daimler drove smoothly away, he scribbled its number in his notebook.
- Rosie had scribbled down the name and telephone number of a caller who had offered a story.
- So scribble down that wish list and get surfing to pick up some of the best bargains around.
THESAURUSto write something quickly► jot something down
Collocations to write something very quickly: · Start your essay by jotting down a few ideas.· He checked the meter and jotted something down.
► scribble to write something quickly and in an untidy way: · Andy scribbled a quick note and handed it to the chairman.· I’ve scribbled something here but I can’t read it now.
► draw to make a picture, pattern etc using a pen or pencil: · The children were asked to draw a picture of their families.· I’m going to art classes to learn how to draw.
► sketch to draw a picture of something or someone quickly and without a lot of detail: · Roy took a pencil and sketched the bird quickly, before it moved.
► illustrate to draw the pictures in a book: · It’s a beautiful book, illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
► doodle to draw shapes or patterns without really thinking about what you are doing: · He was on the phone, doodling on his notepad as he spoke.
► scribble to draw shapes or lines without making a definite picture or pattern. Small children do this before they have learned to draw or write: · At the age of two, she loved scribbling with crayons and coloured pencils.
► trace to copy a picture by putting a piece of thin paper over it and drawing the lines that you can see through the paper: · First trace the map, and then copy it into your workbooks.
Longman Language Activatorto draw a picture, pattern, line etc► draw to make a picture, pattern, line etc using a pen or pencil: · What are you drawing?· She can draw really well.· I'm good at drawing animals, but I can't draw people.draw a picture of somebody/something: · Mike was sitting outside, drawing a picture of the trees at the bottom of the garden.draw a line/circle/square etc: · Someone had drawn a line under my name.
► sketch to make a quick, simple drawing of a person, place etc, without many details: · Maggie grabbed a piece of paper and quickly sketched the bird before it flew away.· He sat by the river, sketching.
► doodle to draw shapes, lines, or patterns without really thinking about what you are doing, for example when you are thinking about something else or when you feel bored: · I always doodle while I'm talking on the phone.doodle on: · Simon was lying on the floor, doodling on a sheet of paper.
► scribble to quickly draw lines and shapes without making any particular pattern, shape, or picture - use this especially about what small children do before they have learnt to draw or write: · Katie can't draw a real picture yet but she enjoys scribbling with crayons.scribble all over/on something: · Oh no! One of the kids has scribbled all over my report!
► trace to copy a picture by putting transparent paper over it and then drawing along the lines of the picture: · The children traced the map of France and then wrote in the names of the places they had visited.
to write something quickly or carelessly► jot down to quickly write down ideas, notes, or facts: jot down something: · Let me jot down the name of that restaurant.jot something down: · If anyone has any suggestions, jot them down on a piece of paper and give them to me.
► scribble to write something quickly and untidily: · Andrew scribbled a quick note and handed it to the chairman.scribble something down: · Sorry, I scribbled her phone number down, and now I can't read my own writing!scribble down something: · We'll all scribble down some suggestions, and then compare them.
► scrawl to write something carelessly and untidily: · Someone had scrawled a strange symbol on the wall above the bed.· Three students were excluded for scrawling graffiti on a school wall.
► dash off to write a letter, note, story etc quickly and without thinking carefully about it: dash off something: · He was furious when he saw the article, and dashed off a letter to the editor immediately.dash something off: · The publishers wanted a summary that afternoon, so I dashed it off in an hour or so.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► jot down/scribble notes
1[transitive] (also scribble down) to write something quickly and untidily: (=write them down quickly)· The jurors were scribbling notes as the witness gave evidence.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN► margin· No answer, scribbled Goldberg in the margin of his typescript, because no question.· The man clicked his ballpoint pen, scribbled three characters in an already scribbled margin, and turned the page.· Desire, scribbled Goldberg in the margin.· Night, scribbled Goldberg in the margin of his typescript, work on glass, day, work on freewheeling commentary.· Outlet, scribbled Goldberg in the margin, folly of belief in permanence.· Many books lay open, carelessly scattered about, so that I could see how Frankenstein had scribbled notes in their margins.
► note· He scribbled a note for Veronica, then left the cottage and strolled past the church and across the green.· He did, however, scribble notes throughout the plaintiffs' presentation.· They love that answer, and all scribble in their note books.· He had scribbled notes to himself back in Los Angeles about baptismal dance scenes.· But her host's calm demeanour as he scribbled a few notes and went on to the next call calmed her fears.· I scribbled a note to ask about it later.· She was still standing there now, waiting impatiently, as he glanced through some papers, scribbling notes here and there.· He also keeps quiet and to himself, scribbling notes, thumbing through a book.
I scribbled his phone number in my address book. He scribbled down our names.► see thesaurus at write2[intransitive] to draw marks that have no meaning: Someone had scribbled all over my picture.► see thesaurus at drawscribble1 verbscribble2 noun
scribblescribble2 noun ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- How am I going to get all these scribbles off the wallpaper?
- Her drawings are tremendous, compared with my little scribbles.
- I use the pencils for techniques such as cross-hatching, contour and scribble drawing, shading and frottage.
- If a system or application understands the electronic ink, it can also convert the scribbles received into editable text.
- She may make one or two scribbles on her schoolwork and then giggle and whisper with other children.
- She smiled thinly and ran her index finger over the Biro scribble.
- The tubes in the automatic fraction collector were meticulously labeled, with none of the usual felt-tip scribbles.
Longman Language Activatorsomething that you draw► drawing
Collocations a picture that you draw with a pen or pencil: · Leonardo da Vinci's drawings show an immensely inventive and inquiring mind.do a drawing of something: · I did a drawing of the church.
► sketch a quick, simple drawing that does not show many details: sketch of: · She opened her folder and took out a sketch of her mother.do/draw a sketch: · Phil drew a sketch to show us what the new school would look like.rough sketch (=a sketch that is not very exact or detailed): · I've done a rough sketch of how to get to the church.
► doodle a drawing of shapes, lines, or patterns that you do when you are thinking about something else or when you are bored: · By the end of the lecture the back of my book was covered in little doodles.
► scribble a drawing of lines, shapes etc that look untidy and have no particular pattern, shape, or picture - use this especially about what small children do before they can draw or write properly: · How am I going to get all these scribbles off the wallpaper?
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► jot down/scribble notes
1[uncountable] (also scribbles [plural]) meaningless marks or pictures, especially done by children2[singular, uncountable] untidy writing that is difficult to read: (=write them down quickly)· The jurors were scribbling notes as the witness gave evidence.
I couldn’t read his scribble.