1
as in scratches
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface
scuffed up her shoes by rubbing her feet under the rung of the chair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffles
to move heavily or clumsily
the miners scuffed past in heavy boots
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scuffs
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
Liverpool are fortunate that Marcus Tavernier scuffs his shot straight at Alisson.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffs
Verb
-
Find an activity that meets your current needs With so many facets to the creative life, there is bound to be an endeavor that scratches an itch.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
8 May 2026
-
Bites or scratches from an infected rodent or eating food contaminated with hantavirus, are other forms of exposure, Florida Health said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Mr Cobra opens like a dark, cobwebbed staircase leading into a vast and foreboding space, all frantic flute and piano, creaks, and bone-chilling screeches (not to mention a slutty monologue seemingly communicated via Google Translate).—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Woo walked slowly across the room, using a walker to stabilize his upper body, his steps a symphony of clunks and creaks and whirs.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Avery Sullivan, with whom Morris also plays in the country-rock band Fust, keeps loose time on drums, tapping the snare like someone setting down coffee mugs while Libby Rodenbough scrapes out a few melody lines on her fiddle and colors empty spaces with some ghostly tremolo.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
1 Apr. 2026
-
To show me, Max reaches a metal pick into a tank of clear water and scrapes a white line that seems to hover in the center of the tank.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As Laugier’s story continues, the man wanders through a forest, stumbles upon fallen branches, and has an epiphany.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory and mischief unfolds.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the closing moments, Godzilla stomps his way to the Statue of Liberty, setting his sights on New York City.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Ellie stomps back to the crew mess to whine about it to Jenna and Ben.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffs. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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