as in skirmishes
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
several chairs were knocked over in the scuffle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in shuffles
to move heavily or clumsily
she scuffled along in shoes that were much too large for her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrestles
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
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Recent Examples of scuffles
Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Tens of thousands of people joined marches across the country, including in Paris, where brief scuffles with police broke out.
—Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
The extra time from the delay and the legal scuffles gave the team time to get the game ready.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 30 Apr. 2026
The impasse apparently led to a couple of scuffles, including one at a barbershop where Carter was nearly stabbed until one of the men cutting hair intervened.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
There were 12 roughing penalties in the game — six against each team — and plenty of other scuffles involving multiple players.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Luka Garza, who’s played well in most of his appearances since late December, is another viable option if Vucevic scuffles, or if Mazzulla opts to play three bigs.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
The aerial scuffles are charming.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
And that didn’t include the multiple (if mild) scuffles in between this ruckus.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
And the United States and Iran had a series of scuffles last week that saw the Islamic Republic fire on American Navy vessels and the United States bomb Iranian ports.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Tens of thousands of people joined marches across the country, including in Paris, where brief scuffles with police broke out.
—Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
The extra time from the delay and the legal scuffles gave the team time to get the game ready.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 30 Apr. 2026
The impasse apparently led to a couple of scuffles, including one at a barbershop where Carter was nearly stabbed until one of the men cutting hair intervened.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
There were 12 roughing penalties in the game — six against each team — and plenty of other scuffles involving multiple players.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Luka Garza, who’s played well in most of his appearances since late December, is another viable option if Vucevic scuffles, or if Mazzulla opts to play three bigs.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
The aerial scuffles are charming.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
And that didn’t include the multiple (if mild) scuffles in between this ruckus.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffles
Noun
-
Tempers flared between the teams, leading to a couple of skirmishes.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
Here are some photos from the second of three skirmishes in this always entertaining Show Me State clash.—
Jeff Rosen,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
At the sound of morning prayers, an older Clarissa awakens from this dream and shuffles out to her lawn, where the leafy bush has been replaced with the industrial skyline of Lagos.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This film wrestles with that desire, centring on Yod.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 May 2026
-
The Esperanza junior, who wrestles at 113 pounds, strained a knee during the Doc Buchanan tournament in Clovis in January.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The protest turned violent with clashes breaking out between pro-Palestinian supporters, who were protesting an event hosted by the synagogue to promote land for sale in Israel, and pro-Israel counterprotesters.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Widespread protests followed, along with some clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement and the deployment of the National Guard.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
In the closing moments, Godzilla stomps his way to the Statue of Liberty, setting his sights on New York City.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Ellie stomps back to the crew mess to whine about it to Jenna and Ben.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His wife, Elizabeth, fights to hold things together at all costs, while their daughter, Jenna, confronts the collapse of her aspirations to attend Juilliard.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
17 May 2026
-
Jamie fights him off pretty easily and Ferguson is taken prisoner.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
But if both of those battles end up as washes, the Knicks could pull away in this series because their work on the glass earns them extra shots.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Trustees increasingly want leaders capable of navigating not only fundraising and research growth, but also the political battles reshaping higher education.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Set during the summer of 1975, Sessa stars as a 19-year-old Bourdain who travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen.—
Marc Malkin,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
After an embarrassing encounter — Wells, working as a janitor, stumbles upon Graham naked in the locker room — the two make an arrangement.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffles. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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