1
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
she scuffled along in shoes that were much too large for her
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrestling
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
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Recent Examples of scuffling
There are a lot of really good players out there scuffling to this point.
—
Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Neto has been scuffling and was dropped from first to sixth in the order by Angels manager Kurt Suzuki.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Los Angeles ultimately regrouped in plenty of time to win its second straight World Series, but the Dodgers are again proving fallible at a time when the Padres are scuffling.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026
The return of Soto should help the Mets’ scuffling offense.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
That pretty much tells the whole story right there, and with the offense scuffling out of the gate the club hasn’t been able to fight back whenever the starter gets chased early.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Cleveland’s 6-foot-6 right-hander had Dodgers hitters scuffling for seven innings, striking out 10 as the Guardians won for the second time in the three-game series.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
With the Rockets' offense scuffling in recent games, coach Ime Udoka inserted second-year guard Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup for Friday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
In the video, York, 45, can be seen scuffling with another man outside the Warwick nightclub, where the actor had been attending a pre-Oscars party hosted by LA Today.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Neto has been scuffling and was dropped from first to sixth in the order by Angels manager Kurt Suzuki.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Los Angeles ultimately regrouped in plenty of time to win its second straight World Series, but the Dodgers are again proving fallible at a time when the Padres are scuffling.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026
The return of Soto should help the Mets’ scuffling offense.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
That pretty much tells the whole story right there, and with the offense scuffling out of the gate the club hasn’t been able to fight back whenever the starter gets chased early.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Cleveland’s 6-foot-6 right-hander had Dodgers hitters scuffling for seven innings, striking out 10 as the Guardians won for the second time in the three-game series.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
With the Rockets' offense scuffling in recent games, coach Ime Udoka inserted second-year guard Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup for Friday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
In the video, York, 45, can be seen scuffling with another man outside the Warwick nightclub, where the actor had been attending a pre-Oscars party hosted by LA Today.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffling
Verb
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Facebook groups and other online communities have sprung up around shuffling, allowing expats navigating all sorts of situations to compare notes and share strategies.—
Carole Rosenblat,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
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But sometimes, simply shuffling the pieces can help, in our view.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Jon Greenhalgh, the News & Documentary Emmy nominee behind Netflix’s wrestling doc Team Foxcatcher, will direct from a script written with Michael Wallach (The Bay).—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
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For CEOs, CHROs, and transformation leads wrestling with AI disruption, hybrid work, and unrelenting competition, The Octopus Organization is stimulating reading.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Vandenbroucke verifies that the worst way to respond is cranking up your own television or music, stomping your feet, or pounding on the walls or ceiling.—
Karla Walsh,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
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We’re treated to a surreal sequence wherein Cassie transforms into the 50-Foot Woman, stomping all over Downtown Los Angeles like a monster movie, which all seems like a pretext for a scene where Sweeney’s giant boobs burst through the windows of a building.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Verb
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After a limp 2-0 defeat at Lorient in mid-April, Benatia criticised the players for a lack of fighting spirit.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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Democrats are also fighting among themselves.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Verb
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In a video shared on Facebook by comedian Mike Goldstein, the man can be seen stumbling out of the bathroom while still fastening his belt.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
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Arriving at Badlands National Park feels like stumbling upon Mars.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffling. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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