Quantcast
Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
  • Dictionary
  • Thesaurus
  • Scrabble
  • Spanish Central
  • Learner's Dictionary

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

scuffle

play
intransitive verb scuf·fle \ˈskə-fəl\

Simple Definition of scuffle

  • : to fight briefly and usually not very seriously

  • : to move quickly and with short steps

Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary

Full Definition of scuffle

scuffled

scuffling

play \-f(ə-)liŋ\

  1. 1a :  to struggle at close quarters with disorder and confusionb :  to struggle (as by working odd jobs) to get by

  2. 2a :  to move with a quick shuffling gait :  scurryb :  shuffle

scuffle

noun

Examples of scuffle in a sentence

  1. Children scuffled on the playground.

  2. Small creatures scuffled in the underbrush.



Origin and Etymology of scuffle

perhaps frequentative of scuff


First Known Use: 1590

SCUFFLE Defined for Kids

1

scuffle

play
verb scuf·fle \ˈskə-fəl\

Definition of scuffle for Students

scuffled

scuffling

  1. 1 :  to fight briefly and not very seriously

  2. 2 :  scuff 1



2

scuffle

play
noun scuf·fle

Definition of scuffle for Students

  1. 1 :  a short fight that is not very serious

  2. 2 :  the sound of shuffling



Learn More about scuffle

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for scuffle Spanish Central: Translation of scuffle Nglish: Translation of scuffle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of scuffle for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up scuffle? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

tantivy

play

at a gallop

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. demagogic, demagogue "irresponsible, reckless rhetoric"

  2. skittle What is a 'skittle'?

  3. hubris, pariah Powell's take on Trump

  4. deplorable Clinton: "Basket of deplorables"

  5. sophomoric "It's a sophomoric approach"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

scs
sct
scuffle

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

alphabet-pasta-spelling-help

Which is the correct spelling?

acommadate accommodate accomodate acommodate
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

hipster
The Original Hipsters

Hint: they carried things on their hips

spitting-image
Where Does 'Spitting Image' Come From?

And what about 'splitting image'?

between-you-and-i
'Between You and I'

Don't let this phrase come between you

shopping-mall
'Mall': It's Not Just for Shopping

It used to be all fun and games

Ask the Editors

subjunctive
How to Use the Subjunctive in English

If I were you, I'd watch this

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

alphabet-pasta-spelling-help
Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

Can you spell these 15 tricky spelling words?

Take the quiz
who-knew-quiz
Who Knew?

Take this quiz and discover 12 words for things you didn't know had words.

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: scuffle in a sentence