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
Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
She was released and showed back up over an hour later, triggering another scuffle.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2026
Nate Sylves, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025
The Dodgers' offense has scuffled in the last couple of games, putting more pressure on the pitching staff.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Noun
Staff from both clubs became involved in a mini-scuffle, with Simeone exchanging words with Valverde, before the Argentine coach was shown a yellow card.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
She was released and showed back up over an hour later, triggering another scuffle.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
Prosecutors say Mendez and Ortiz scuffled with one of the suspects, which led to the shooting.
—Nate Sylves, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025
The Dodgers' offense has scuffled in the last couple of games, putting more pressure on the pitching staff.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffle
Noun
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Things then turned violent when someone tried to lunge at Black as marshals walked him out of the courtroom, leading to a skirmish appearing to involve about a dozen people.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
2 Jan. 2026
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Other conflict hotspots include India/Pakistan following a deadly skirmish in 2025, Congo/Rwanda, and the ongoing civil war in Sudan.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The unit was constantly shuffled this season, and the Trojans deployed six different offensive line combinations while still managing to have one of the most efficient offenses in the Big Ten Conference under position coach Zach Hanson.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
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Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Frenchman wrestled an awful Alpine to 11 Q3 appearances in 2025 and brought in 100 percent of his team’s points.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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For decades, Sarasota County leaders have wrestled with the idea of reopening Midnight Pass, an inlet that split Siesta and Casey keys until its closure in 1983.—
Jack Prator,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The clashes have since descended into an all-out civil war, characterized by ethnic violence, attacks on civilians and atrocities committed by all sides, according to humanitarian groups and foreign governments.—
ByGuy Davies,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Iranian state television aired images of clashes and fires, while the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several police officers were killed overnight, underscoring the increasingly violent nature of the confrontations.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Government agencies and businesses that invest in this training, and that insist every critical number survives a deterministic check, will capture AI's benefits without stumbling into its blind spots.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Dodge, still suffering the consequences of axing the popular previous generations of Charger and Challenger muscle cars, saw sales stumble down 28% compared with the previous year.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fifty years ago, my father was a Vietnamese soldier who fought as an ally to the United States Armed Forces in Vietnam.—
Bao Phi,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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Dickens’ appearance was during an ongoing back and forth fight between the city and MARTA over transit expansion in Atlanta.—
Riley Bunch,
AJC.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
With a high-stakes battle for the 2026 midterms looming, the Evergreen State appears poised to join the trend of states using congressional redistricting for partisan advantage.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Rattler won the quarterback battle in training camp over Shough, but after going 1-7, Moore made the switch to his rookie.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
Tony Aiello,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Take it slower and stomp a path through new snow or ski on a frozen pond.—
Ashlyn Ware,
Midwest Living,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffle. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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