1
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
she scuffled along in shoes that were much too large for her
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scuffling
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
Entering their game against the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena, the Avs’ power play had been scuffling.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2025
Addison Barger, who'd been scuffling in August, played the role of late-game hero.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
After a strong 10-game homestand last week at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals were scuffling against a pair of American League Central rivals.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
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
Entering their game against the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena, the Avs’ power play had been scuffling.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2025
Addison Barger, who'd been scuffling in August, played the role of late-game hero.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
After a strong 10-game homestand last week at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals were scuffling against a pair of American League Central rivals.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffling
Verb
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Even when the locals lost faith, Villa remained focused, forever shuffling side to side and defending with the same urgency.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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Go on a street food tour Street food tours are great things to do in Sicily and a fabulous alternative to hours of shuffling through museums.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Later footage shows multiple federal agents wrestling him to the ground.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Two members of the group can be seen wrestling with and striking The Hawk’s employees.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Fatu and Rhodes took turns fighting each other and then the WWE officials.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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The Skippers kept fighting, using a 7-0 run to take a 57-55 lead with two minutes to go.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These are just some of the most prominent, powerful bootlickers stumbling right now on their own deceit and desperation.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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The Russians had made a mistake, with Sikharulidze stumbling out of a double axel.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffling. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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