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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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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So many of the issues that Tuchel has been wrestling with over the past 18 months are the same that Southgate faced.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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For many leadership teams, wrestling with a question this fundamental requires exercising long-dormant strategic muscles that have not been used at full strength in years.—
Carolyn Dewar,
Fortune,
9 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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William Jennings Bryan stepped onto the podium on July 8, 1896, at the Democratic National Convention inside Chicago Coliseum at 63rd Street and Stony Island Avenue, and demonstrated that reformers could profit from working within the system instead of fighting it.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
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The big and heavy fights in the new trailer for gen ATLAS (shown below) really remind me of fighting various large enemies in Gigantic Drive.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
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For them, a smarter alert can mean the difference between landing ready for a boardroom and stumbling in after an overnight airport stay.—
Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 June 2026
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Below him, drunken partiers are stumbling back from a day in the unrelenting sun at the MGM Grand’s pool, many of them carrying inflatable tubes, and nearly all in various stages of undress.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffling. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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