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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scuffling
Plus, there’s the notable trend of Eldridge scuffling after every promotion.
—
Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Three years later, Denver hired Cain as a pass-rush specialist, reuniting him with Bonitto as the young Bronco was scuffling through his second NFL season.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 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
Immediately after the Mets took a four-run lead, the scuffling right-hander gave up four runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 5-5.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2025
Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Three years later, Denver hired Cain as a pass-rush specialist, reuniting him with Bonitto as the young Bronco was scuffling through his second NFL season.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 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
Immediately after the Mets took a four-run lead, the scuffling right-hander gave up four runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 5-5.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffling
Verb
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In it, a monster with bolts in his head and a shuffling gate was created by a man.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
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The closures have resulted in staff shuffling throughout the library system and rescheduled activities such as author talks and photography exhibits.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jesse and Jasper spend a lot of time snuggling, while Blaze loves playing and wrestling with his older brother.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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Born and raised in Nova Scotia as Wade Douglas Bowles, Rocky Johnson started wrestling in 1964 in and around Toronto.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cena’s chrome-domed antihero, Freddie Stroma’s Vigilante and and Danielle Brooks’ Adebayo stomping through spots of light.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
21 Aug. 2025
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No velvet rope, no fourth wall—just boot-stomping, beer-sign neon and crowd-absorption tech.—
Bob Bonniol,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The approximate number of Americans who died fighting the Nazis in World War II.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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Proctor also investigated the Walshe case and other criminal cases in Norfolk County and those defense attorneys are fighting to get information from Proctor’s phone backup archives that could exonerate their clients.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The episode ends with a surreal, graphic deepfake scene of a totally nude Donald Trump stumbling around a desert.—
Nick Marx,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
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Inside the agency, Dudek, ill-prepared for leadership or for DOGE’s murky agenda, was stumbling through the chaos in part by creating some of his own.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scuffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffling. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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