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
Devon Henderson, New York Times, 1 May 2026
The extra time from the delay and the legal scuffles gave the team time to get the game ready.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 30 Apr. 2026
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
The Cubs need more consistency from their lineup, which has scuffled through their first nine games.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Noun
Robinson then grabbed Daniels around the neck and walked him several feet until a brief scuffle ensued between the two teams.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 1 May 2026
The extra time from the delay and the legal scuffles gave the team time to get the game ready.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Mackenzie Blackwood started the year 13-1-1, but has scuffled at times in the second half of the season.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
The Cubs need more consistency from their lineup, which has scuffled through their first nine games.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffle
Noun
-
The May 9 event was shaken the day before by a political skirmish that, for the first time, spilled into the proceedings.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
10 May 2026
-
Reigns tried to avoid it during their skirmish on Monday.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
MotoGP also had to shuffle its schedule due to the conflict in the Middle East, postponing the Qatar Grand Prix to November.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
7 May 2026
-
But sometimes, simply shuffling the pieces can help, in our view.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Verb
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At which point Fouracres, reprising his role as Attenborough, ran onto the stage dressed in WWE-style spandex and began wrestling with Animashaun.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
9 May 2026
-
Ivelisse Garcia Santana said her grandson Jeury Concepcion needed several stitches after ICE agents wrestled him to the ground.—
Adi Guajardo,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
What started as a simple explanation about unplugging on flights quickly turned into a comedic clash of generations when Sherry Cola’s choice of words left Harrison Ford out of the loop.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
Despite a ceasefire between the pair, there have been clashes this week in the strait, with US forces carrying out air strikes on two empty Iranian oil tankers.—
Ellen Milligan,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The mood in Venice is still borderline ecstatic, full of gossip, parties, and people chatting about art in their respective cities, trading business cards, discovering new talent, eating, drinking, and stumbling around, running into old friends.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
-
South Africa has stumbled into a classic policy trap.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
In one scene in the novel, a black ram named Othello, who lives in misery in a carnival, forced to fight dogs, is visited in his pen by a strange ram bearing advice.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Trump has gone back and forth over whether the war will end, at times expressing optimism and at other times saying Russia and Ukraine should be left to fight it out to the bitter end.—
Darlene Superville,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
The project is particularly acrimonious, drawing out geographical battles between north and south and thorny fights between officials who want to build the tunnel and environmentalists and Delta residents seeking to protect the local ecosystem and their way of life.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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Without losing a man or a ship, Dewey’s squadron destroyed the Spanish fleet in the first American naval battle against a foreign power in almost five decades.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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We’re treated to a surreal sequence wherein Cassie transforms into the 50-Foot Woman, stomping all over Downtown Los Angeles like a monster movie, which all seems like a pretext for a scene where Sweeney’s giant boobs burst through the windows of a building.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
11 May 2026
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Rollins repeatedly stomped Breakker in the face and lined up for The Stomp, but Breakker countered, grabbed Rollins’ foot and hit a military press into a gutbuster.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffle. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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