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
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 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
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Cleveland’s 6-foot-6 right-hander had Dodgers hitters scuffling for seven innings, striking out 10 as the Guardians won for the second time in the three-game series.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Noun
Luka Garza, who’s played well in most of his appearances since late December, is another viable option if Vucevic scuffles, or if Mazzulla opts to play three bigs.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 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
Michigan had been scuffling along, needing overtime to beat Wake Forest and surviving a nervy 67-63 game at TCU before coming to Las Vegas.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Cleveland’s 6-foot-6 right-hander had Dodgers hitters scuffling for seven innings, striking out 10 as the Guardians won for the second time in the three-game series.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffle
Noun
-
The Pittsburgh Penguins staved off elimination for the second straight game with a clutch Game 5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but celebrations were briefly halted when a skirmish erupted over a controversial hit on Sidney Crosby after the final buzzer.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Walker, in a 10-pitch skirmish, drew a walk.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With Estévez out, the Royals had to shuffle the bullpen.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Of course, no rotation shuffling is imminent with Rodón expected to make at least three rehab starts and Cole moving at a slower pace following Tommy John surgery.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Having wrestled the title momentum away from Arsenal this week, City are the obvious answer here, but there are reasons for optimism in north London.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lawmakers in Connecticut have wrestled with how exactly to regulate the issue, particularly in the wake of reports that grocery stores in the state were using facial recognition technology to track shopper activity.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
City will have one eye on clinching the FA Cup trophy for the third time in eight years, while Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final clashes with Atletico Madrid will take plenty out of them physically and mentally.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The dog-waste donnybrook was similar to another recent clash in Brooklyn that saw a 75-year-old grandmother jumped and beaten for complaining that a dog walker was not cleaning up the pooch’s poop.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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During a routine survey in preparation for a housing development in Winsch, local authorities stumbled upon the former Roman camp in August 2025.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Clemson also stumbled to a 7-6 mark, a year after registering a 10-4 record in 2024.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Viel also finished the game by fighting Podkolzin.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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Does the fact that none of this was effective—at least in the sense that Trump hasn’t been driven from the political scene for good—suggest that Democrats should now fight dirtier?—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Avoid ego battles with parents and bosses.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Find out for yourself with its chaotic four-on-four battles.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dedicating that much shelf space to the New York Yankees, as your organization gets stomped into the ground by them, at home?—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffle. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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