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
In the video, York, 45, can be seen scuffling with another man outside the Warwick nightclub, where the actor had been attending a pre-Oscars party hosted by LA Today.
—
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
McIlroy was able to tee it up on Thursday, scuffling to a score of 74.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Boston’s frontcourt will face a stiff challenge against the scuffling Bucks, as two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to return to the lineup after missing five-plus weeks with a calf strain, per a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 2 Mar. 2026
Bryson Tiller had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for Kansas, which handed the scuffling Cougars (23-5, 11-4) their third consecutive defeat — all against top-15 opponents.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
McIlroy was able to tee it up on Thursday, scuffling to a score of 74.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Boston’s frontcourt will face a stiff challenge against the scuffling Bucks, as two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to return to the lineup after missing five-plus weeks with a calf strain, per a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 2 Mar. 2026
Bryson Tiller had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for Kansas, which handed the scuffling Cougars (23-5, 11-4) their third consecutive defeat — all against top-15 opponents.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffling
Verb
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These chips spend most of their energy shuffling data between a memory unit and a processor.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Mar. 2026
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So what better way to cap all that off than closing out the Oscars — even if the clip played while the audience was shuffling out of the theater and calling their Ubers.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Picnic detritus surrounds our little camp, and my two boys are wrestling not far away.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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These encounters had convinced Beyer that many congregants were wrestling with how to square their sympathy for Jewish Israelis with the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Expect to see crunching tackles, stomping recovery runs and heroic blocks from a 22-year-old centre-back who will be a leader for his country at their first World Cup.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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So, let’s circle back to the original question on stomping.—
Adam Cohen,
Oklahoman,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The underlying facts of the case are still to be ruled on, but the partial ruling on Friday was a big win for immigration advocates who had been fighting to shut down the controversial site.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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The lone Republican was Merritt Farren, a 65-year-old media and technology attorney who lost his home in last year’s Palisades fire, and became an advocate while fighting State Farm’s controversial rate hike request.—
Pat Maio,
Daily News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Occasionally, King’s assistants, a pair of bulky guys with law-enforcement backgrounds, offered the stumbling line a corrective shove.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Ducks started their trip up five points on Connor McDavid and company, but held just a three-point edge after stumbling 4-2 on Saturday.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffling. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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