shuffle

verb shuf·fle \ ˈshə-fəl \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: shuffle in a Sentence

Definition of shuffle

shuffled; shuffling play \ˈshə-f(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to mix in a mass confusedly : jumble

2 : to put or thrust aside or under cover

shuffled the whole matter out of his mind

3 a : to rearrange (playing cards, dominoes, tiles, etc.) to produce a random order

b : to move about, back and forth, or from one place to another : shift

shuffle funds among various accounts

4 a : to move by sliding along or back and forth without lifting

shuffle one's feet

b : to perform (something, such as a dance) with a dragging, sliding step

intransitive verb

1 : to work into or out of trickily

shuffled out of the difficulty

2 : to act or speak in a shifty or evasive manner

3 a : to move or walk in a sliding dragging manner without lifting the feet

b : to dance in a lazy nonchalant manner with sliding and tapping motions of the feet

c : to execute in a perfunctory or clumsy manner

4 : to mix playing cards or counters by shuffling

—

shuffler

play \ˈshə-f(ə-)lər\ noun

See shuffle defined for English-language learners

See shuffle defined for kids

Examples of shuffle in a Sentence

He shuffled across the floor.
She stood there, shuffling her feet, waiting for the bus to arrive.
She shuffled the papers on her desk.
The manager shuffled the batting order.
Whose turn is it to shuffle and deal?

Recent Examples of shuffle from the Web

Clothes and accessories were dampened, leading employees to shuffle merchandise around the store.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Von Maur in Oxmoor Center Mall closed due to water damage," 10 June 2018
The move, which will force vulnerable lawmakers to shuffle their campaign schedules, was widely anticipated in the Senate Republican Conference.

— Washington Post, "The Health 202: This is what happens to Medicare when you cut taxes but not spending," 6 June 2018
Why make your hosts offer to shuffle bedrooms by complaining?

— philip galanes, New York Times, "Hey, That’s My Dad You’re Talking About!," 31 May 2018
Woods slumped down, investigators said, but was able to shuffle to his right along the wall while still holding the knife.

— sarah ravani, San Francisco Chronicle, "The 5 San Francisco police shootings that put the city in the spotlight," 24 May 2018
Some pitchers, especially those with less experience in the major leagues, chafe when shuffled back and forth between starting and relieving.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Notes: Dual roles haven't been a problem for Brewers left-hander Brent Suter," 11 May 2018
Their absences forced Atholton to shuffle athletes around to different events, like freshman Morgan Nasir.

— kyle stackpole, Howard County Times, "Howard boys, Atholton girls win Howard County outdoor track and field titles," 9 May 2018
Rotation pushed back a day Showalter had a chance to shuffle his rotation with Tuesday night’s postponement, but chose to keep all five starters in turn rather than keep people on regular rest and give Chris Tillman more time off in between starts.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles notes: Jace Peterson thrown into mix quickly at second base," 26 Apr. 2018
Still, major convenience store chains have had to shuffle their offerings to shield themselves from shifting tobacco sales.

— joshua fechter, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio retailers brace for impact of tobacco ordinance," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shuffle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of shuffle

perhaps irregular from ¹shove

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1570

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

shuffle Synonyms

shuffle

noun

Definition of shuffle

1 : an evasion of the issue : equivocation

2 a : an act of shuffling (as of cards)

b : a right or turn to shuffle

it's your shuffle

c : a confusing jumble (as of papers or events)

lost in the shuffle

3 a : a dragging sliding movement; specifically : a sliding or scraping step in dancing

b : a dance characterized by such a step

c (1) : a rhythm where each beat of the measure is played as a triplet with the first and second parts of the triplet tied and the third part accented

(2) : music played in a shuffle rhythm

See shuffle defined for English-language learners

Examples of shuffle in a Sentence

We heard the shuffle of feet outside the door.
He gave the cards a good shuffle and then dealt.

Recent Examples of shuffle from the Web

People in private schools are looking for something different for their kids so they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

— lorraine mirabella, baltimoresun.com, "Sylvan Learning makes big push into China," 5 June 2018
Anyone mailing multiple letters will no longer hear the satisfying shuffle and thunk of envelopes hitting the pile inside.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "The “Cadillac of Mailboxes” Arrives in N.Y.C.," 30 Apr. 2018
Run enough off-ball screens and side-to-side movement in your offense and many centers will get lost in the shuffle.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "Process of Elimination: Four Reasons Why the Cavaliers Don't Stand a Chance in the NBA Finals," 31 May 2018
That perfect piece of fish almost got lost in the shuffle.

— kate washington, sacbee, "If Allora can learn to relax a little, it will be one of the city's best restaurants | The Sacramento Bee," 11 May 2018
Cox declined to comment on the leadership shuffle in his interview with Recode.

— kurt wagner, Recode, "Chris Cox is becoming Facebook’s most important executive not named Mark Zuckerberg," 8 May 2018
Previously, all playlists could only be played on shuffle for free users on the mobile app.

— lisa marie segarra, Fortune, "Spotify's Free Service Might Be Getting a Redesign," 18 Apr. 2018
That should make using Siri’s DJ capabilities different than just listening to your tunes on shuffle.

— lisa eadicicco, Time, "3 Things I Learned After One Month With Apple's HomePod," 6 Mar. 2018
While President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed once vowed to eliminate al-Shabab within a couple of years, his administration has seen multiple shuffles of key security officials in less than one year in office.

— elias meseret, The Seattle Times, "Urgent help sought for AU force’s planned Somalia withdrawal," 27 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of shuffle

1628

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

shuffle Synonyms

Synonyms

agglomerate, agglomeration, assortment, clutter, collage, grab bag, hash, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, jumble, litter, medley, mélange, miscellany, mishmash, mixed bag, motley, muddle, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, patchwork, potpourri, ragbag, rummage, salmagundi, scramble, smorgasbord, tumble, variety, welter;

admixture, alloy, amalgam, blend, combination, commixture, composite, compound, fusion, intermixture, mix-up;

mess, morass, shambles;

Other Game Terms

bezique, carom, convention, crap, euchre, gambit, monte, parlay, tierce

SHUFFLE Defined for English Language Learners

shuffle

verb

Definition of shuffle for English Language Learners

: to slide your feet along the ground or back and forth without lifting them completely
: to move things or people into a different order or into different positions
: to mix (playing cards) before playing a game so that no one knows what order they are in

shuffle

noun

Definition of shuffle for English Language Learners

: the act of moving by sliding your feet without lifting them off the ground
: the act of mixing the order of playing cards : the act of shuffling cards

SHUFFLE Defined for Kids

shuffle

verb shuf·fle \ ˈshə-fəl \

Definition of shuffle for Students

shuffled; shuffling

1 : to slide back and forth without lifting

He shuffled his feet.

2 : to walk or move by sliding or dragging the feet

I just shuffled along.

3 : to mix up the order of (as playing cards)

4 : to push or move about or from place to place

She shuffled the papers on her desk.

shuffle

noun

Definition of shuffle for Students

1 : a sliding or dragging walk

2 : an act of mixing up or moving so as to change the order or position

3 : a confusing jumble

The idea was lost in the shuffle.

Learn More about shuffle

See words that rhyme with shuffle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shuffle Spanish Central: Translation of shuffle Nglish: Translation of shuffle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shuffle for Arabic speakers

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shuffle

Definition of shuffle

shuffler

Examples of shuffle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of shuffle from the Web

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shuffle Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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shuffle

Definition of shuffle

Examples of shuffle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of shuffle from the Web

First Known Use of shuffle

shuffle Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Game Terms

Phrases Related to SHUFFLE

Related Phrases

SHUFFLE Defined for English Language Learners

shuffle

Definition of shuffle for English Language Learners

shuffle

Definition of shuffle for English Language Learners

SHUFFLE Defined for Kids

shuffle

Definition of shuffle for Students

shuffle

Definition of shuffle for Students

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