Definition of SCRAWL

scrawl

Plural: scrawls

Noun

  • poor handwriting
  • Irregular, possibly illegible handwriting.
  • A hastily or carelessly written note etc.
  • Writing that lacks literary merit.
  • A broken branch of a tree.
  • The young of the dog-crab.

Verb

Verb Forms: scrawled, scrawling, scrawls

  • To write in a hurried, careless, or illegible way.
  • write carelessly
  • To write something hastily or illegibly.
  • To write in an irregular or illegible manner.
  • To write unskilfully and inelegantly.
  • To creep; crawl; to move slowly, with difficulty, fearfully, or stealthily.

Examples

  • His opponent’s score was such a SCRAWL, he couldn’t tell if he’d won or lost.
  • She scrawled the main points onto her notepad.

Origin / Etymology

Possibly from Middle English scraulen (“to spread out one's limbs; sprawl”), itself an alteration of spraulen (“to sprawl”) or craulen, crawlen (“to crawl”).
Alternatively, from scrall, a contraction of scrabble.

Scrabble Score: 11

scrawl: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
scrawl: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
scrawl: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

scrawl: valid Words With Friends Word