shuffle

[shuhf-uhl]

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

to walk without lifting the feet or with clumsy steps and a shambling gait.

to scrape the feet over the floor in dancing.

to move clumsily (usually followed by into): to shuffle into one's clothes.

to act underhandedly or evasively with respect to a stated situation (often followed by in, into, or out of): to shuffle out of one's responsibilities.

to intermix so as to change the relative positions of cards in a pack.

verb (used with object), shuf·fled, shuf·fling.

to move (one's feet) along the ground or floor without lifting them.

to perform (a dance) with such movements.

to move (an object or objects) this way and that.

to put, thrust, or bring trickily, evasively, or haphazardly (usually followed by in, into, out, etc.): to shuffle one's way into favor.

to mix (cards in a pack) so as to change the relative positions.

to jumble together, mix, or interchange the positions of (objects).

noun

a scraping movement; dragging gait.

an evasive trick; evasion.

an act or instance of shuffling.

Cards.

a shuffling of cards in a pack.
the right or turn to shuffle preparatory to dealing: You win the shuffle.

a dance in which the feet are shuffled along the floor.

Verb Phrases

shuffle off,

to thrust aside; get rid of.
to move away by, or as if by, shuffling: They shuffled off to school with little enthusiasm.

Origin of shuffle

1525–35; < Low German schuffeln to walk clumsily or with dragging feet, mix (cards); akin to shovel

Related formsre·shuf·fle, verb re·shuf·fled, re·shuf·fling, nounun·shuf·fled, adjective

Synonyms for shuffle

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shuffle ON THESAURUS.COM

6. drag, scrape, scuff.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for shuffle off

dodge, avert, sidestep, evade, bypass, escape, shun, hinder, prevent, thwart, counter, elude, frustrate, nullify, curb, shy, jump, abstain, hide, shake

British Dictionary definitions for shuffle off

shuffle off

verb

(tr, adverb) to thrust off or put asideshuffle off responsibility

shuffle

verb

to walk or move (the feet) with a slow dragging motion

to change the position of (something), esp quickly or in order to deceive others

(tr) to mix together in a careless mannerhe shuffled the papers nervously

to mix up (cards in a pack) to change their order

(intr) to behave in an awkward, evasive, or underhand manner; equivocate

(when intr, often foll by into or out of) to move or cause to move clumsilyhe shuffled out of the door

(intr) to dance the shuffle

noun

the act or an instance of shuffling

a dance or dance step with short dragging movements of the feet

Derived Formsshuffler, noun

Word Origin for shuffle

C16: probably from Low German schüffeln; see shove

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

Word Origin and History for shuffle off

shuffle

1530s, put together hastily," probably from Middle English shovelen "to move with dragging feet," itself probably a frequentative form of shoven (see shove (v.)). Or perhaps from Low German schuffeln "to walk clumsily, deal dishonestly."

Of playing cards, first recorded 1560s. Meaning "walk slowly without lifting the feet" is from 1570s. Meaning "push along gradually" is from 1560s. Meaning "move from one place to another" is from 1690s. Meaning "do a shuffle dance" is from 1818. Related: Shuffled; shuffling. Shuffle off "get rid of, dispose of" is from Shakespeare (1601).

shuffle

1620s, "an evasion, trick;" 1640s, "a wavering or undecided course of behavior meant to deceive;" from shuffle (v.). Meaning "a slow, heavy, irregular manner of moving" is from 1847; that of "a dance in which the feet are shuffled" is from 1640s. Meaning "a change in the order of playing-cards" is from 1650s. Phrase lost in the shuffle is from 1930.

Idioms and Phrases with shuffle off

shuffle off

Get rid of, act evasively, as in They've tried to shuffle off public inquiries about the safety of their planes. This usage, dating from about 1600, also appears in the oft-quoted shuffle off this mortal coil, from Shakespeare's Hamlet (3:1), where it means “become freed from the turmoil of life,” that is, “die.”

Move away reluctantly, dragging one's feet, as in The prisoners shuffled off to their work detail. [Late 1500s]