scribble

Word family

scrib·ble1 /ˈskrɪbəl/ verb

1 [transitiveT] (also scribble down)WRITE to write something quickly and untidily 潦草地写

I scribbled his phone number in my address book.

我在地址簿上潦草地写下他的电话号码。

He scribbled down our names.

他潦草地写下我们的姓名。

► see thesaurus at write

2 [intransitiveI]DRAW to draw marks that have no meaning 乱涂，乱画，乱写

Someone had scribbled all over my picture.

有人把我的画涂得乱七八糟。

► see thesaurus at draw

Examples from the Corpus

scribble• Andrew scribbled a quick note and handed it to the chairman.• Ashley scribbled all over her bedroom walls in crayon.• Oh no! One of the kids has scribbled all over my report!• 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.• We'll all scribble down some suggestions, and then compare them.• So scribble down that wish list and get surfing to pick up some of the best bargains around.• Rosie had scribbled down the name and telephone number of a caller who had offered a story.• And their dull appearance is often accompanied by teaching methods that consist mostly of scribbling graphs on a blackboard.• 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!• A chalkboard with scribbled house specials changes daily.• Nevertheless, as the Daimler drove smoothly away, he scribbled its number in his notebook.• He had scribbled notes to himself back in Los Angeles about baptismal dance scenes.• Katie can't draw a real picture yet but she enjoys scribbling with crayons.

scribble2 noun

1. [uncountableU] (also scribbles [plural])DRAW meaningless marks or pictures, especially done by children 〔尤指小孩的〕乱涂的无意义的东西，涂鸦

2 [singular, uncountableU]WRITE untidy writing that is difficult to read 潦草的字

I couldn’t read his scribble.

我看不懂他潦草的字。

Examples from the Corpus

scribble• I use the pencils for techniques such as cross-hatching, contour and scribble drawing, shading and frottage.• She smiled thinly and ran her index finger over the Biro scribble.• Her drawings are tremendous, compared with my little scribbles.• If a system or application understands the electronic ink, it can also convert the scribbles received into editable text.• How am I going to get all these scribbles off the wallpaper?• The tubes in the automatic fraction collector were meticulously labeled, with none of the usual felt-tip scribbles.• She may make one or two scribbles on her schoolwork and then giggle and whisper with other children.

Origin scribble1

(1400-1500) Medieval Latin scribillare, from Latin scribere; → SCRIBE

scrib·ble1 verbscribble2 noun

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus