1
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
she scuffled along in shoes that were much too large for her
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrestling
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
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Recent Examples of scuffling
Miami had been scuffling, dropping three of its previous six games.
—
Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
On January 24, federal agents shot dead US citizen Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, while scuffling with him on an icy roadway, less than three weeks after an immigration officer shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, in her car.
—Binaifer Nowrojee, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
On January 24, federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, while scuffling with him on an icy roadway in Minneapolis, less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
The New York Times did a video analysis of one video, showing a group of agents scuffling with the man, eventually bringing him to his knees.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2026
The protagonist, McTeague (Gibson Gowland) is a scuffling American naïf, a California miner who, seeking better prospects, learns dentistry from an itinerant practitioner and, without any formal qualifications, starts a practice in San Francisco.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
This was the year Kansas City lost its magic pixie dust … while ultimately scuffling to a 6-11 finish.
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
At the other end, Boston’s scorers were scuffling.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
He was accused of scuffling with police during a Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills playoff game in January 2021.
—Emma Butts, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
On January 24, federal agents shot dead US citizen Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, while scuffling with him on an icy roadway, less than three weeks after an immigration officer shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, in her car.
—Binaifer Nowrojee, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
On January 24, federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, while scuffling with him on an icy roadway in Minneapolis, less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
The New York Times did a video analysis of one video, showing a group of agents scuffling with the man, eventually bringing him to his knees.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2026
The protagonist, McTeague (Gibson Gowland) is a scuffling American naïf, a California miner who, seeking better prospects, learns dentistry from an itinerant practitioner and, without any formal qualifications, starts a practice in San Francisco.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
This was the year Kansas City lost its magic pixie dust … while ultimately scuffling to a 6-11 finish.
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
At the other end, Boston’s scorers were scuffling.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
He was accused of scuffling with police during a Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills playoff game in January 2021.
—Emma Butts, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffling
Verb
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Metcalf and Pullman are both wonderful in their shuffling ordinariness, reenacting long-obsolete parental dynamics with a kind of rueful, hopeful denial.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Bridgerton treats it as though every woman got multiples of their yearbook photo to hand around as headshots, and Benedict’s taking what would have been treasured personal heirlooms and just shuffling through them and tossing out anyone with the wrong hair color.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When was wrestling sanctioned in Iowa colleges and universities?—
Cooper Worth,
Des Moines Register,
17 Feb. 2026
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Sanchez, wrestling at 120 pounds, won all five of his matches by fall or by technical fall.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Han will be posted up by the Milennium Falcon and/or Oga’s Cantina, Luke will be stomping his Chanel boots in the marketplace, and Darth Vader will be force-choking dads in Grumpy tees.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
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Then there’s the people watching, from the tailgating to the communal divot stomping, full of dramatic sun dresses and hats with flourishes, seersucker suits and, yes, hats with flourishes.—
Eric Barton,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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My entire career has been dedicated to fighting crime, upholding the law, and protecting Texans—experience no other candidate can match.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Such a marathon is not unlike long weeks spent on the road competing, constantly fighting jet lag, and navigating limited options for fueling meals ahead of game time.—
Kayla Blanton,
Outside,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He’s saved by a drunken Ser Arlan, who comes stumbling into the alley and instinctively follows his knightly code to defend the innocent.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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The victim was then seen stumbling backwards and sustained a visible mark on her neck, according to the sheriff's office.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffling. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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