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
And with his Tigers scuffling and the whole sport closely monitoring Skubal’s progress, this uncharted territory is equal parts riveting and consequential.
—
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 26 May 2026
But Ramírez isn’t expected to inject life into a scuffling Cubs offense.
—Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
Neto has been scuffling and was dropped from first to sixth in the order by Angels manager Kurt Suzuki.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Los Angeles ultimately regrouped in plenty of time to win its second straight World Series, but the Dodgers are again proving fallible at a time when the Padres are scuffling.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026
The return of Soto should help the Mets’ scuffling offense.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
That pretty much tells the whole story right there, and with the offense scuffling out of the gate the club hasn’t been able to fight back whenever the starter gets chased early.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Cleveland’s 6-foot-6 right-hander had Dodgers hitters scuffling for seven innings, striking out 10 as the Guardians won for the second time in the three-game series.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
With the Rockets' offense scuffling in recent games, coach Ime Udoka inserted second-year guard Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup for Friday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 26 May 2026
But Ramírez isn’t expected to inject life into a scuffling Cubs offense.
—Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
Neto has been scuffling and was dropped from first to sixth in the order by Angels manager Kurt Suzuki.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Los Angeles ultimately regrouped in plenty of time to win its second straight World Series, but the Dodgers are again proving fallible at a time when the Padres are scuffling.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026
The return of Soto should help the Mets’ scuffling offense.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
That pretty much tells the whole story right there, and with the offense scuffling out of the gate the club hasn’t been able to fight back whenever the starter gets chased early.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Cleveland’s 6-foot-6 right-hander had Dodgers hitters scuffling for seven innings, striking out 10 as the Guardians won for the second time in the three-game series.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
With the Rockets' offense scuffling in recent games, coach Ime Udoka inserted second-year guard Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup for Friday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffling
Verb
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Having gone into hiding, Walt ultimately manages to make some things right before shuffling off the mortal coil.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
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The move comes one year after the team promoted Saleh to general manager after another round of shuffling in its front office.—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Like India, Indonesia has been wrestling with a falling currency, and on May 20, the country's central bank raised its policy interest rates by a larger-than-expected 50 basis points.—
Sri Jegarajah,Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
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Doorbell video captured Friday appeared to show Hyder punching the woman, 34-year-old Cherrie Moore, in the face several times while also wrestling her to the ground.—
Jericka Duncan,
CBS News,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Shouting, slamming doors and feet stomping are some of the noises that concern many home bakers anxiously awaiting a baking cake.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
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As anyone who's come within a hundred miles of the city will tell you, Nashville is a live-music mecca, overflowing with boot-stomping, fiddle-playing entertainment.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Now, Troiano said, his organization is focused on fighting bills in about a dozen states that would close party primaries to independent voters.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
30 May 2026
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The Hema and Lendu ethnic groups have been fighting over land and minerals in the gold-rich province of Ituri since the Second Congo War in the late 1990s and early 2000s.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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This includes people who do not know each other and who did not coordinate with one another to gather all somehow separately, hearing about Manhattanhenge (or simply stumbling across the crowd) and enjoying the view together.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
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The video then shows Henderson stumbling towards a wall in the area, where someone can be seen calling for help.—
Brittney Ermon,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffling. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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