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
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Recent Examples of scuffle
Steve Karnowski, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
With the Nets trailing 84-71 midway through the period, Clowney and Mouhamed Gueye received double technicals following a scuffle.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
With the Rockets' offense scuffling in recent games, coach Ime Udoka inserted second-year guard Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup for Friday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Noun
The three appear to scuffle near the front steps for about 10 seconds.
—Steve Karnowski, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
With the Nets trailing 84-71 midway through the period, Clowney and Mouhamed Gueye received double technicals following a scuffle.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
Brown, who scuffled as a shooter for most of the game, caught fire late with two 3-pointers and an and-one midrange jumper that cut Boston’s deficit to eight with just over a minute remaining.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
With the Rockets' offense scuffling in recent games, coach Ime Udoka inserted second-year guard Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup for Friday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffle
Noun
-
With no end to the larger skirmish in sight, fears persist that the shipment of medical supplies could remain at risk.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The early skirmishes certainly appeared that way.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Born from the embers of the eighties band Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, led by the singer and guitarist Amelia Fletcher, shuffled forward with her riffy, effervescent playing style, gradually growing more sophisticated across four LPs and an EP, without any loss of buoyancy.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
This is where the city stages its daily open-air show — street artists sketching portraits, fortune-tellers shuffling cards and musicians playing for appreciative crowds.—
Lauren Schuster,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Thank you to the public servants wrestling with impossible decisions.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Shah lunged at Jalloh and started wrestling with him as both men were upright and standing, Ancheta said.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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All three judges scored it 98-92 for the 29-year-old Briton, who sustained cuts over both eyes from head clashes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
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And the clash of ideologies must now be balanced on the backs of many hardworking people trying to keep their children out of institutional care and on the Medicaid providers that support them.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The show follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan Dardano (Taylor Ortega), a pastor-and-teacher sibling duo from New Jersey who stumble into organized crime after Morgan steals a necklace from a postal store to bury with their dying grandmother.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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When a character speaks English, an accent is employed and the manner is often a bit stumbling.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Like there was a demon in his lungs, fighting the last bit of banishment.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
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She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa — an eye disease that causes vision loss — and lupus, a disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s healthy tissues and organs instead of fighting germs, according to court records.—
Chase Jordan
April 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Battle of Kings Mountain, where the Patriots won a 1780 battle just west of Charlotte, and a recreation of British loyalist leader Maj.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
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In a battle for first place in the Pacific Coast League, Patel drove in five runs and scored a run to lead Irvine to an 8-2 victory over Portola.—
Martin Henderson,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s the sound of clogs slowly stomping back into the spotlight.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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For pretty much every gamer alive today, those first few notes induce an almost Pavlovian response — sparking an urge to grab a controller on your lap that isn’t actually there and bringing to mind comfortable, warm memories of stomping Goombas and riding Yoshi on a quest to save Princess Peach.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffle. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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