scuffle

[ skuhf-uhl ]

See synonyms for scuffle on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),scuf·fled, scuf·fling.

to struggle or fight in a rough, confused manner.
to go or move in hurried confusion.

to move or go with a shuffle; scuff.

noun

a rough, confused struggle or fight.
a shuffling: a scuffle of feet.

Also called scuffle hoe . a spadelike hoe that is pushed instead of pulled.
(in tap dancing) a forward and backward movement of the foot.

Origin of scuffle

First recorded in 1570–80; see origin at scuff, -le

Other words for scuffle

4	scrap, tussle, row

See synonyms for scuffle on Thesaurus.com

Other words from scuffle

scuffler, noun
scuf·fling·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scuffle in a sentence

After Newsweek covered the online scuffle and characterized Brown as a Republican, he took to Twitter to demand an apology.
Why People Are Mad at Alton Brown and Why Alton Brown Is Mad at Newsweek, Explained | Elazar Sontag | November 11, 2020 | Eater
It grows in the bones of scuffling, isolated country childhoods.
Murray Kempton on The Homecoming of Willie Mays | Murray Kempton | March 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Here there was a scuffling sound in the basket, and the Roc rapped on the cover with her hard beak, and cried, "Hush!"
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. Carryl
There was a lot of mysterious whispering and scuffling round by the light of a couple of dirty greasy bits of candle.
Over the Sliprails | Henry Lawson
But after a moment of scuffling, he was again held securely.
The Girl and The Bill | Bannister Merwin

Some children standing near a door shrieked, but the struggling, scuffling group uttered no sound.
The Devourers | Annie Vivanti Chartres
Tailed by scuffling gamins, the strange little procession moved quickly down the wynd and turned into the roaring Cowgate.
Greyfriars Bobby | Eleanor Atkinson

British Dictionary definitions for scuffle (1 of 2)

scuffle¹

/ (ˈskʌfəl) /

verb(intr)

to fight in a disorderly manner
to move by shuffling

to move in a hurried or confused manner

noun

a disorderly struggle
the sound made by scuffling or shuffling

Origin of scuffle

C16: from Scandinavian; compare Swedish skuff, skuffa to push

British Dictionary definitions for scuffle (2 of 2)

scuffle²

/ (ˈskʌfəl) /

noun

US a type of hoe operated by pushing rather than pulling

Origin of scuffle

C18: from Dutch schoffel shovel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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