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\ ˈskəf 
\
\scuffed; scuffing; scuffs
Definition of scuff
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to walk without lifting the feet : shuffle
b : to poke or shuffle a foot in exploration or embarrassment
2 : to become scratched, chipped, or roughened by wear
a countertop that won't scuff
1 : cuff entry 3
2a : to scrape (the feet) along a surface while walking or back and forth while standing
b : to poke at with the toe
3 : to scratch, gouge, or wear away the surface of
scuffed my shoes
scuff
nounDefinition of scuff (Entry 2 of 2)
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Examples of scuff in a Sentence
Verb
She scuffed down the hall towards her room. scuffed up her shoes by rubbing her feet under the rung of the chair Noun
She slid into her scuffs and headed into the kitchen.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb After scuffing through most of that game, the Lions faced a fourth-and-1 at the L.A. 35-yard line, down 10-6, with just over 8 minutes to play.
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Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions' 2019 season (so far) has been defined by these 5 plays," 7 Nov. 2019 Ballplayers, Bouton revealed, could be boozing, womanizing, pill-popping, ball-scuffing rascals — overgrown teenagers, that is.
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Tyler Kepner, New York Times, "Jim Bouton Opened Up the Major Leagues to Everyone," 11 July 2019 Mexico nearly took the lead in the 63rd, but goalkeeper Zack Steffen denied Raúl Jiménez, who scuffed his chance from close range.
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Brian Straus, SI.com, "Mexico Turns Tide, Wins Gold Cup Title Again vs. Wasteful USMNT," 7 July 2019 The ballplayers took drugs, pitchers scuffed the ball, outfielders peered lasciviously at women in the bleachers.
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David Shribman, latimes.com, "Jim Bouton’s bawdy ‘Ball Four’ transformed baseball's public image," 11 July 2019 Then with five minutes left and the game finally starting to come alive, Jack Grealish had a terrific chance to win the game but scuffed his shot as the game tapered out to a 0-0 draw.
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SI.com, "Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Teams Play Out Bore Draw," 16 Sep. 2019 Tom Lawrence made an excellent run down the right flank and squared the ball to the unmarked Bale who could only scuff his shot tamely at Péter Gulácsi.
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SI.com, "International Roundup: Wales Fall to Late Defeat, Germany Demolish Estonia & More," 11 June 2019 My white sneakers scuff up too easily, my kitten heels give me blisters and my Dr. Martens are starting to grow old.
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Glamour, "I Think It's Time To Talk About Jelly Shoes Again," 31 May 2019 The subsequent corner came incredibly close to finding the net and, quickly following that, an electric England counter fell to Raheem Sterling who scuffed the ball wide of an open goal.
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SI.com, "Tunisia 1-2 England: Injury Time Harry Kane Header Sees Off Tunisia in England's World Cup Opener," 18 June 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun There is also a second-hand market for those willing to accept a few scuffs on the paintwork.
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The Economist, "Aircraft-carriers are big, expensive, vulnerable—and popular," 14 Nov. 2019 Sandra Leik testified that scuff marks were left on her kitchen floor near the stove and refrigerator.
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Freep.com, "Murders of Michigan women still unsolved 50 years later — but cops had eye on 1 man," 10 Nov. 2019 And on one of those lines, there was a black scuff mark.
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Emily Brindley, courant.com, "Vehicle hits two pedestrians in front of Simsbury town hall, police department," 6 Nov. 2019 Homeward bound The step-in height is low with no need for running boards, and the door skins extend below the sill to prevent dirty scuffs on legs and shoes.
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Mark Maynard, San Diego Union-Tribune, "2020 Hyundai Palisade: move-in ready at $50,000," 19 Oct. 2019 However, following heavy outdoor use, the Wilson showed scuffs and abrasions—not unexpected for a shoe that’s more frontcountry than backcountry.
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Adrienne Donica, Popular Mechanics, "Winter is No Match for These Top-Performing Snow Boots," 16 Oct. 2019 And so the man himself stood up, and, despite some last-minute scuff marks from the Colombian rearguard, duly slotted the spot kick.
1-0.
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SI.com, "Reliving England's Hoodoo-Breaking World Cup Penalty Shootout Win Over Colombia One Year on," 3 July 2019 Every dust mote, every linoleum scuff and porcelain glint has been crafted with breathtaking care.
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The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Review: Woody and Buzz are back and better than ever," 20 June 2019 The hydrogen peroxide acts like an all-fabric bleach to whiten the canvas fabric and the baking soda helps scrub away scuffs and stains.
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Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean White Vans so They Look Brand New," 17 May 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scuff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for scuff
scuff
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of scuff
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to make a mark or scratch in the surface of (something) by scraping it
: to walk without lifting your feet : to drag your feet while you walk
scuff
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of scuff (Entry 2 of 2)
: a mark that is made by scuffing something
US : slippers that are open at the heel
See the full definition for scuff in the English Language Learners Dictionary
scuff
verb\ ˈskəf \
\scuffed; scuffing
Kids Definition of scuff
1 : to scrape the feet while walking
2 : to mark or scratch by scraping
Don't scuff your good shoes.
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Time Traveler for scuff
The first known use of scuff was in 1768
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