scribble
1 of 2verb
scrib·ble ˈskri-bəl 
scribbled; scribbling ˈskri-b(ə-)liŋ ; scribbles
; scribbles transitive + intransitive
1
: to write or draw hastily or carelessly
a note scribbled on the back of an envelope
Harriet scribbled in her notebook as soon as she took her seat.
Louise Fitzhugh
Louise FitzhughHe took a stump of lead pencil out of his pocket and scribbled a moustache on the lion's upper lip and then a pair of spectacles on its eyes. C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis2
: to fill or cover something with careless or worthless writings or drawings
a scribbled envelope
… papers … scribbled over with clues … English Digest
English Digestscribble
2 of 2noun
plural scribbles
: a piece of writing or a drawing that is done quickly or carelessly
She could barely make out the doctor's scribble.
a page covered with random scribbles
… he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid. J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
Synonyms
Verb
- scratch
- scrawl
- squiggle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb She scribbled a note to him and then dashed off to her meeting. He scribbled down his phone number. Students scribbled furiously as the professor lectured. She was scribbling away in a notebook. The toddler scribbled all over the paper.
Recent Examples on the Web Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 2 June 2022 Find a Tacoma on Instagram, and scribble out some calculations on a napkin. Wes Siler, Outside Online, 25 Feb. 2021 Simply apply decorative stickers on a blank, ceramic mug, then let your child scribble away in various colors. Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 19 Apr. 2022 Montessori’s approach—which amounts to encouraging the students to scribble with chalk and to make protowriting gestures—works. Rivka Galchen, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022 Like the signature seen on many of his other highly coveted trading cards, the blue script is not the tilting scribble Doncic used during his teenage years. New York Times, 29 Oct. 2021 Someone later used dark ink to scribble over the words, apparently to dampen the effusive, perhaps amorous, language. BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2021 Frances asks for a pen and some paper and begins to furiously scribble down ideas. Neha Prakash, Marie Claire, 23 Sep. 2021 Everyone has their personal preferences, different types of tasks, and the willingness to scribble and organize. Medea Giordan, Wired, 30 Aug. 2021 See More
Verb
Their fingers fluttered to scribble invisible words such as ikebana, meunière, wiliwili, and obvertend into their palms. Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 2 June 2022 Find a Tacoma on Instagram, and scribble out some calculations on a napkin. Wes Siler, Outside Online, 25 Feb. 2021 Simply apply decorative stickers on a blank, ceramic mug, then let your child scribble away in various colors. Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 19 Apr. 2022 Montessori’s approach—which amounts to encouraging the students to scribble with chalk and to make protowriting gestures—works. Rivka Galchen, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022 Like the signature seen on many of his other highly coveted trading cards, the blue script is not the tilting scribble Doncic used during his teenage years. New York Times, 29 Oct. 2021 Someone later used dark ink to scribble over the words, apparently to dampen the effusive, perhaps amorous, language. BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2021 Frances asks for a pen and some paper and begins to furiously scribble down ideas. Neha Prakash, Marie Claire, 23 Sep. 2021 Everyone has their personal preferences, different types of tasks, and the willingness to scribble and organize. Medea Giordan, Wired, 30 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English scriblen, from Medieval Latin scribillare, from Latin scribere to write
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1577, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
scribble 1 of 2
verb
scrib·ble ˈskri-bəl
scribbled; scribbling
: to write quickly or carelessly
scribble
2 of 2noun
: something written quickly or carelessly
scribbled
verb
1
as in scrawled
to write or draw hastily or carelessly she scribbled a quick note on the pad by the door before leaving Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- scrawled
- wrote
- squiggled
- scratched
- doodled
- printed
- penned
- penciled
- pencilled
- inked
- lettered
- inscribed
- jotted (down)
2
as in wrote
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- wrote
- penned
- composed
- authored
- printed
- typed
- recorded
- crafted
- rewrote
- revised
- signed
- transcribed
- lettered
- redrafted
- drafted
- formulated
- scratched (out)
- prepared
- framed
- recast
- autographed
- drew up
- worded
- cast
- phrased
- couched
- put
- typewrote
- expressed
- registered
- took down
- penciled (in)
- pencilled (in)