shuffle

American  

[shuhf-uhl] / ˈʃʌf əl /

verb (used without object)

shuffles, present (3rd person singular) shuffled, past participle, past shuffling present participle

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

2. to scrape the feet over the floor in dancing.

3. to move clumsily (usually followed byinto ).

   to shuffle into one's clothes.

4. to act underhandedly or evasively with respect to a stated situation (often followed by in, into, orout of ).

   to shuffle out of one's responsibilities.

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

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verb (used with object)

shuffles, present (3rd person singular) shuffled, past participle, past shuffling present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   scuff, scrape, drag

2. to perform (a dance) with such movements.

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

4. to put, thrust, or bring trickily, evasively, or haphazardly (usually followed by in, into, out, etc.).

   to shuffle one's way into favor.

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

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

noun

shuffles plural

1. a scraping movement; dragging gait.

2. an evasive trick; evasion.

3. an act or instance of shuffling.

4. Cards.

   1. a shuffling of cards in a pack.

   2. the right or turn to shuffle preparatory to dealing.

      You win the shuffle.

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

verb phrase

1. shuffle off

   1. to thrust aside; get rid of.

   2. to move away by, or as if by, shuffling.

      They shuffled off to school with little enthusiasm.

shuffle British  

/ ˈʃʌfəl /

verb

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

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

3. (tr) to mix together in a careless manner

   he shuffled the papers nervously

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

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

6. to move or cause to move clumsily

   he shuffled out of the door

7. (intr) to dance the shuffle

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noun

1. the act or an instance of shuffling

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• shuffler
  noun
• reshuffle
  verb
• unshuffled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shuffles
  plural

Participles

• shuffling
  present
• shuffled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shuffle
  simple
• shuffles
  simple
• have shuffled
  perfect
• has shuffled
  perfect
• am shuffling
  progressive
• are shuffling
  progressive
• is shuffling
  progressive
• have been shuffling
  perfect progressive
• has been shuffling
  perfect progressive

Past

• shuffled
  simple
• had shuffled
  perfect
• was shuffling
  progressive
• were shuffling
  progressive
• had been shuffling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shuffle
  simple
• will have shuffled
  perfect
• will be shuffling
  progressive
• will have been shuffling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shuffle

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

Explanation

To shuffle is to drag your feet slowly along the ground as you walk. A kid might shuffle reluctantly off to his room only after being told five times that it's bedtime. Shuffle also means to wiggle around, like if you shuffle uncomfortably in your seat while watching a five-hour movie. If you get lost in the shuffle, you’re lost in the crowd. Another way to use shuffle is to mean "mix up in a random way," as you do with a deck of cards before dealing a hand. Shuffle probably comes from the Low German word schuffeln, which means both "to walk clumsily" and "to deal dishonestly."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shuffle shuffles shuffled shuffling

And while Canada has sometimes got lost in the shuffle in the massive tournament, Kristick said "every Canadian knows Canada is hosting it, and I think there's been a great deal of national pride".

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

I cut class short and shuffle quickly back to my faculty house just off campus, where we moved from Culver City after I was hired as a full-time lecturer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

The only noise overnight was the opening and closing of the curtains and shuffle of flip flops for bathroom runs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

When “Swinging Party,” by the Replacements, came on my shuffle for the millionth time, I knew I had to do something different.

From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026

We shuffle to the dining room, where the gargantuan oval oak table is covered with evidence of a mass operation.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

Heineken’s move is the latest of CEO shuffles in the food and beverage industries.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

He shuffles through them, reminiscing about his parents, siblings and cousins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

That Garbus shuffles late-night bits into the action punctuates the blur of corporate interests and celebrity that the Murdochs represent.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026

This process shuffles existing genetic material into new combinations, which can help restore functional diversity as populations expand.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2026

The fortune-teller picks up the deck and shuffles, shifting the cards from one hand to the other.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

One former No 10 staffer recalls arriving early in the morning, being "shuffled through weird corridors, taken into a room, choosing logins and signing our lives away".

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

In his 20 years running JPMorgan, Dimon has regularly shuffled his top leadership ranks with an eye toward grooming a replacement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Not 20 people shuffled around near the bar, lingering on opposite walls.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

The game shifted into an unexpected bullpen game, and the Dodgers shuffled through seven pitchers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

He shuffled forward, feeling the way with his feet.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

“Zone One” is a smart take on the shuffling hordes and pandemic survivors who try to take Manhattan back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Those supports are a vital part of a long-term-care plan, and could do more to help stretch funds than any shuffling around of index funds or tax strategizing.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

If Tuchel does know his best team, he is hiding it well – and the amount of shuffling on the flanks and in defence suggests he does not.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

An AFP journalist captured rare footage at Al-Rahmaniyah camp showing exhausted women shuffling under a punishing sun, jerrycans swaying on their heads after hours spent waiting for water at a distant well.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

We went on that way, with her crisp footsteps tip-tapping down the wooden sidewalk and my boots shuffling along after her, until we reached another intersection.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• drag
• limp
• straggle
• stumble