scribbled; scribbling
ˈskri-b(ə-)liŋ 
; scribbles
; scribbles
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 Digest
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. RowlingSynonyms
Examples of scribble in a Sentence
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
Josef Adalian, Vulture, 12 July 2024
After the national anthem was played, all six voters walked one-by-one into the voting booth before the ballots were subsequently hand counted and read out loud as the results were scribbled on a white board.
—Kelsey Walsh, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
PCMAG, 3 Oct. 2024
The asymmetrical picture, featuring Picasso's trademark scribble, is of a woman with brown hair wearing a blue dress and red lipstick.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scribble 
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Verb
But Michael would apparently go into the Arby’s on the first level of the ABC Entertainment Center right before our meeting, and then would come up to Brandon’s office with a bunch of ideas scribbled on napkins and just pitch them out.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 12 July 2024
After the national anthem was played, all six voters walked one-by-one into the voting booth before the ballots were subsequently hand counted and read out loud as the results were scribbled on a white board.
—Kelsey Walsh, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
Just scribble on an object or person (there are separate modes for them) to create a Magic Mask.
—PCMAG, 3 Oct. 2024
The asymmetrical picture, featuring Picasso's trademark scribble, is of a woman with brown hair wearing a blue dress and red lipstick.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scribble
Dictionary Entries Near scribble
Cite this Entry
“Scribble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scribble. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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Etymology
Verb
Middle English scriblen "to write hurriedly or carelessly," from Latin scribillare (same meaning), from earlier scribere "to write" — related to scribe
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