as in skirmishes
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
several chairs were knocked over in the scuffle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in shuffles
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 wrestles
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scuffles
Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Tens of thousands of people joined marches across the country, including in Paris, where brief scuffles with police broke out.
—Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles 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
The impasse apparently led to a couple of scuffles, including one at a barbershop where Carter was nearly stabbed until one of the men cutting hair intervened.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
There were 12 roughing penalties in the game — six against each team — and plenty of other scuffles involving multiple players.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
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
The aerial scuffles are charming.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
And that didn’t include the multiple (if mild) scuffles in between this ruckus.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
And the United States and Iran had a series of scuffles last week that saw the Islamic Republic fire on American Navy vessels and the United States bomb Iranian ports.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Tens of thousands of people joined marches across the country, including in Paris, where brief scuffles with police broke out.
—Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles 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
The impasse apparently led to a couple of scuffles, including one at a barbershop where Carter was nearly stabbed until one of the men cutting hair intervened.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
There were 12 roughing penalties in the game — six against each team — and plenty of other scuffles involving multiple players.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
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
The aerial scuffles are charming.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
And that didn’t include the multiple (if mild) scuffles in between this ruckus.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffles
Noun
-
Inconspicuous blows against Denver escalated to skirmishes.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Thankfully, none of these skirmishes affects the guests’ satisfaction with the trip.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
At the sound of morning prayers, an older Clarissa awakens from this dream and shuffles out to her lawn, where the leafy bush has been replaced with the industrial skyline of Lagos.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The officer then wrestles the woman to the ground.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
-
If Kittle wrestles a crocodile down under, who is winning?—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Outside the facility’s gates, there have been clashes between federal immigration officials and demonstrators.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
-
Days of protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Newark, New Jersey, have led to clashes between demonstrators and officers and a handful of arrests.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
In the closing moments, Godzilla stomps his way to the Statue of Liberty, setting his sights on New York City.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Ellie stomps back to the crew mess to whine about it to Jenna and Ben.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The welcome is relaxed and warm while the flamboyant decor fights to charm you.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
An Army official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said soldiers who were fans of UFC fights and who meet Army standards were given a preference, which the official said is standard practice for such events.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Staal’s still elite at winning defensive zone puck battles, which helps tee up Ehlers to play to his strengths and gives the Canes an all-three-zone impact in their minutes that has added up to a 66 percent xG rate.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
Calvert shares similar views and has survived an ethics complaint and two previous redistricting battles during his 33 years in Congress.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The first robot stumbles on aluminum debris, its wheels furiously trying to get traction and move around the obstacle.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsay craft a classically structured screenplay about a talented piano tuner who stumbles into a life of crime, upon which Roher, editor Greg O’Bryant, and composer Will Bates embroider jazzy rhythms and inflections, inspired by the musical world our characters inhabit.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffles. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
