as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
several chairs were knocked over in the scuffle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
she scuffled along in shoes that were much too large for her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to wrestle
to seize and attempt to unbalance one another for the purpose of achieving physical mastery
the burglar and the homeowner briefly scuffled together in the dark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of scuffle
Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 June 2026
The scuffle led to a heated exchange in a group chat later in the night before Valle and his friends went to the house party on Laurel Glenn Drive.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2026
Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 June 2026
The three appear to scuffle near the front steps for about 10 seconds.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Noun
In reality, little was lost in the scuffle over the conceptual work.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 June 2026
The scuffle led to a heated exchange in a group chat later in the night before Valle and his friends went to the house party on Laurel Glenn Drive.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2026
Verb
The trial’s first witness was a video expert analyzing security video in which Anthony and Metcalf scuffled before Anthony fled toward the stadium exit.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 June 2026
The three appear to scuffle near the front steps for about 10 seconds.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffle
Noun
-
Continue reading … — Two arrested as skirmishes erupt outside courthouse after Karmelo Anthony verdict.—
,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
-
One of those skirmishes, in fact, involved Childress himself, in 2011 at Kansas Speedway, when the then-65-year-old car owner for an opposing team got into a physical altercation with Busch after an on-track incident.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Manager John Schneider is now forced to shuffle players like Andrés Gimenez and Ernie Clement at shortstop, often platooning Gimenez, and inserting lesser hitters at second base.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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After about 10 minutes of sitting frozen in place, the seven-year-old shuffled out of the room with his mother, sister and grandmother.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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More prestigious films continued to wrestle with the paranoia of the Nixon era.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 June 2026
-
There is little evidence that students are wrestling deeply with ideas.—
Robert B. Tucker,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
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This is not the company's first clash with Washington.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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The clash comes as prediction markets push for mainstream legitimacy despite a series of insider trading allegations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Verb
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The Grimm Brothers fairy tale follows a pair of famished siblings who get lost in the woods and entrapped by a child-eating witch, after stumbling upon her cottage made of candy.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
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The memorial effort dragged for years as the private onePulse Foundation, originally tasked to create it, stumbled and then collapsed amid excessive ambition that produced a plan for a $100 million memorial and museum the group had no ability to fund.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Verb
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In the 1970s, what was then West Germany co-produced the Tornado bomber with the UK and Italy; then in the 1990s Germany worked with the UK, Italy and Spain to produce the dog-fighting Eurofighter jet.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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But somehow, the Valkyries went cold and the Storm kept fighting.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
Noun
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After several years as an orphan, Pumphrey died in a South Caroline pine forest on August 16, 1780, in what was one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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Aegon was severely injured by Aemond and Vhagar in that battle.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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On Monday night, a 39-year-old man wearing a Spurs jersey was stomped and punched after Game 3 while walking down West 47th Street, about 15 blocks from the arena.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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Suddenly, the trees part and a Tyrannosaurus rex stomps into view.—
RJ Mackenzie,
Popular Science,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffle. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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