1
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
she scuffled along in shoes that were much too large for her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrestled
to seize and attempt to unbalance one another for the purpose of achieving physical mastery
the burglar and the homeowner briefly scuffled together in the dark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scuffled
Mackenzie Blackwood started the year 13-1-1, but has scuffled at times in the second half of the season.
—
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
The Cubs need more consistency from their lineup, which has scuffled through their first nine games.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
Brown, who scuffled as a shooter for most of the game, caught fire late with two 3-pointers and an and-one midrange jumper that cut Boston’s deficit to eight with just over a minute remaining.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
A week ago, Justin Thomas scuffled to consecutive 79s at Bay Hill in his return to competition following back surgery.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The officers scuffled with the boy and wrestled him to the ground before taking him into custody, a source with knowledge of the case said.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
After starting the year with 14 wins in their first 15 games, the Trojans have scuffled to end the year.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Jothan saw us and shook our hands, as did Michael Ray, but Sun Ra scuffled by with an air of depthless blankness.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Oklahoma City surged ahead, leading by 15 in the second quarter as Houston’s offense scuffled, but the Rockets fought back to trail by just six at the half.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 7 Feb. 2026
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
The Cubs need more consistency from their lineup, which has scuffled through their first nine games.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
Brown, who scuffled as a shooter for most of the game, caught fire late with two 3-pointers and an and-one midrange jumper that cut Boston’s deficit to eight with just over a minute remaining.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
A week ago, Justin Thomas scuffled to consecutive 79s at Bay Hill in his return to competition following back surgery.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The officers scuffled with the boy and wrestled him to the ground before taking him into custody, a source with knowledge of the case said.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
After starting the year with 14 wins in their first 15 games, the Trojans have scuffled to end the year.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Jothan saw us and shook our hands, as did Michael Ray, but Sun Ra scuffled by with an air of depthless blankness.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Oklahoma City surged ahead, leading by 15 in the second quarter as Houston’s offense scuffled, but the Rockets fought back to trail by just six at the half.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffled
Verb
-
Shielded by her team, Cardi B shuffled out to the street, a blob of black nylon.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Women in America’s boardrooms made strides as corporations shuffled their mostly White and male lineups in the face of the historic pushback in 2020.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The renowned Federalist Papers of the late 1780s, 85 essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, wrestled with this exact debate.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
-
Ibrahim Sangare handled the ball from the second phase in a 3-1 opening-weekend defeat at Nottingham Forest, while Nathan Collins was wrestled to the floor by Reinildo in their 2-1 loss to Sunderland two weeks later.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Grgich stomped grapes at age 3.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
15 May 2026
-
International researchers have officially identified Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, a massive dinosaur that has stomped its way into the record books as the largest ever found in Southeast Asia.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Marner fought through the contact, hit the brakes, deked the puck around Dostál with a nifty move between his legs and potted the goal to give Vegas an early 1-0 lead.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
That is what has sparked the debate within the audiovisual sector that has fought hard for its own identity, its own budget.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Investigators suspect 16-year-old Star Grant and a 28-year-old accomplice killed the girl’s parents and grandmother on May 1 – six days before deputies stumbled onto the crime during a May 7 welfare check, the warrant states.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 May 2026
-
The chain had steady growth in 2024, but seems to have stumbled in California.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffled. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
