scuff
Americanverb (used with object)
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scuffs,
present (3rd person singular)
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scuffed,
past participle, past
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scuffing
present participle
-
to scrape (something) with one's foot or feet.
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to rub or scrape (one's foot or feet) over something.
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to mar by scraping or hard use, as shoes or furniture.
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Chiefly Scot.
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to brush against, as in passing.
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to brush off; wipe off.
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verb (used without object)
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scuffs,
present (3rd person singular)
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scuffed,
past participle, past
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scuffing
present participle
-
to walk without raising the feet from the ground; shuffle.
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to scrape or rub one's foot back and forth over something.
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to be or become marred or scratched by scraping or wear.
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(of machine parts, as gear teeth) to creep from pressure and friction so that ridges appear transversely to the direction of wear.
noun
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scuffs
plural
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the act or sound of scuffing.
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a flat-heeled slipper with a full-length sole and an upper part covering only the front of the foot.
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a marred or scratched place on an item, as from scraping or wear.
verb
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to scrape or drag (the feet) while walking
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to rub or scratch (a surface) or (of a surface) to become rubbed or scratched
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(tr) to poke at (something) with the foot
noun
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the act or sound of scuffing
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a rubbed place caused by scuffing
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a backless slipper
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
scuffsimple
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scuffssimple
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have scuffedperfect
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has scuffedperfect
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am scuffingprogressive
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are scuffingprogressive
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is scuffingprogressive
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have been scuffingperfect progressive
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has been scuffingperfect progressive
Past
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scuffedsimple
-
had scuffedperfect
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was scuffingprogressive
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were scuffingprogressive
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had been scuffingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scuff
First recorded in 1585–95, scuff is from the Middle Low German word schūven to shove
Explanation
When you scuff something, you scrape it in a way that leaves a mark. You might walk very carefully down the street in your new red cowboy boots, being careful not to scuff the toes. You can scuff a floor by moving heavy furniture, or scuff your new leather backpack by dragging it on the sidewalk. It's easy to scuff new shoes or to scuff your dad's car interior when you try to cram your bike into its hatchback. Scuff also means to drag your feet, the way a reluctant child might do on her way into the dentist's office. The word scuff is Scottish, possibly from a Scandinavian root.
Vocabulary lists containing scuff
The Devil's Arithmetic
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The Boy Who Dared
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Locomotion
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It was hardly his best international goal - a scuff off his instep from Patrick Berg's pull-back that Ivorian keeper Yaya Fofana nearly grabbed off the line - but it is his most important.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Beyond a couple of scuff marks and some debris jammed into the treads, our sojourn had left the shoes looking much as they had when I’d first taken them off the shelf.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
To that end, these cargos are as intentional and well-lived as a perfectly executed skate trick: they’re hand-dyed, but also arrive bearing natural bleach, oil and scuff marks.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
Moments later, the executive—herself a shakedown passenger—dipped a napkin into a glass of spring water and cleaned a scuff mark off a menu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
My thumb went for the red scuff mark on the back of the ball, trying to rub it out like I always did whenever I got bored.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
If you have ever used a "magic eraser" sponge to scrub away scuffs on white shoes or crayon marks on a wall, you have seen how powerful these cleaners can be.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2026
An independent consultant and member of the British Numismatic Trade Association has provided a condition report describing the coin as having "a good cameo appearance" with "light hairlines and handling scuffs throughout".
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
The 20-year-old rice cooker that bears its scuffs with dignity, but still turns out perfect grains.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2025
Ask the seller for more pictures of interior scuffs, door dings and scratches.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
Helmuth scuffs at the floor with the toe of his shoe.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The bottles had the correct serial numbers but the labels were slightly scuffed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
Ollie Watkins should have given Villa the lead from Ezri Konsa's pass, but the England striker scuffed his shot wide from six yards.
From Barron's ● Dec. 30, 2025
The MetroCard, a scuffed yellow rectangle that lived in wallets, coat pockets and the bottoms of tote bags for more than three decades, is officially reaching the end of the line.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2025
His second-half spot kick was the ideal chance to end that but the scuffed strike lacked confidence and allowed Skorupski to save with his legs.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
Fitted jeans, scuffed shoes, gray shirt—with the words Dream & Bean Coffee barely visible above the box he’s holding.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Pile on enough and you flirt with the risk of scuffing the roof of your mouth, which feels, to me, like an essential part of the experience.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025
Even his recent movies have seemed a little embarrassed by the guy, scuffing him up with cynicism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025
She scowled, scuffing her bejeweled lavender Crocs against the cement and ignoring her mother.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 16, 2023
“Guys were cutting balls and stuff like that, scuffing and altering balls.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2022
Michelangelo walked behind him, and after him, the children padded along in single file, their leather soles scuffing against the stones.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
