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
Kate Van Dyke, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
The pair—who were both heavily intoxicated, the auction house says—wound up in a scuffle in which Lennon lost his glasses.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2025
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
The two men exchanged words, then began to scuffle; according to Davis, Carr grabbed him by the neck and threw the first punch.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Noun
There wasn’t a single scuffle for a lounge chair during my stay.
—Kate Van Dyke, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
The pair—who were both heavily intoxicated, the auction house says—wound up in a scuffle in which Lennon lost his glasses.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
With the Red Sox offense scuffling lately, has the club considered calling up Kristian Campbell to try and create a spark?
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
The two men exchanged words, then began to scuffle; according to Davis, Carr grabbed him by the neck and threw the first punch.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffle
Noun
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David Wolf, the executive director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Scottsbluff, said experts estimate that as many 10 people died for every mile of the trail ‒ perhaps as many as 20,000 travelers, plus an unknown number of Native Americans killed during skirmishes.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
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The skirmish brought players from both teams out of the dugouts and out of the bullpens.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Smith steadied a Dodgers team constantly shuffling the top of its lineup and searching for the right matchups from its bullpen.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The two are lost in time in the halls of the White Octopus Hotel, shuffling through 1935 and 2015 London in hopes of a second chance.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There’s nothing more exhausting than wrestling a mattress pad over the corners of your mattress, but this one’s deep pockets can fit mattresses up to 16 inches thick.—
Jamie Fischer,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Nov. 2025
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Agents wrestle Figueroa from the vehicle and detain her on the ground.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Much of this strife, including throughout the 1967-1970 civil war and subsequent clashes over the decades, has also been closely tied to feuds across ethnic and territorial lines.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Pfizer and Novo Nordisk are in a takeover clash over the obesity biotech Metsera, with both pharmaceutical giants raising their bids for the startup as of Monday.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Bertha Coombs,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Although the discovery has only now been formally studied, cavers from the Czech Speleological Society first stumbled upon the phenomenon in 2022 during an expedition in Vromoner Canyon.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Uber reported strong growth in its third-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, but stumbled on the bottom line after absorbing a $479 million charge for what the company described as undisclosed legal and regulatory matters.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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More than other age groups, teens have to fight to stay on a schedule that doesn't match their biology.—
NPR,
NPR,
2 Nov. 2025
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Since taking office, Manzo, often seen wearing a bulletproof vest, had called on the federal government to do more to fight organized crime while expressing fears for his own safety.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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History buffs should head to Saratoga National Historic Park, which was the site of two pivotal Revolutionary War battles.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
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What began as a grassroots open-records request has now branched into a multifront legal battle.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As the latter stomped down the catwalk, Anok gave Gabbriette a makeshift haircut.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
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And the Broncos proceeded to stomp Dallas into the turf at Empower Field for four quarters Sunday in a 44-24 drubbing, their best end-to-end performance of the year.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffle. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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