as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
several chairs were knocked over in the scuffle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to shuffle
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 to wrestle
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 scuffle
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2025
The Celtics’ regulars then scuffled through the final 12 minutes, keeping the Bulls at arm’s length but not delivering any sort of authoritative knockout blow.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Jan. 2025
Roe was forced outside then re-entered and again scuffled with police and blocked them from moving the rioters out.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025
The Capitals have scuffled a bit since a 21-6-2 start, winning only seven of their last 14 games entering Tuesday’s tilt against Anaheim.
—James Mirtle, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Verb
Hefner is quickly building a reputation as a coach who can help transform scuffling back-end starters into frontline rotation options, and the Mets are hoping Montas can benefit from his coaching.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2025
The Celtics’ regulars then scuffled through the final 12 minutes, keeping the Bulls at arm’s length but not delivering any sort of authoritative knockout blow.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Jan. 2025
Roe was forced outside then re-entered and again scuffled with police and blocked them from moving the rioters out.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025
The Capitals have scuffled a bit since a 21-6-2 start, winning only seven of their last 14 games entering Tuesday’s tilt against Anaheim.
—James Mirtle, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffle
Noun
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The clashes are a sign of growing tensions at the Lebanon-Syria border, northeast of the Beqaa valley, where predominantly Shiite Lebanese villages have seen skirmishes with Syrian soldiers in recent weeks.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
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After his skirmish with Diarra, Neal waved his arms to fire up Creighton fans in the sellout crowd.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Pretty much everything else is shuffled off to the infotainment system, a single circular touchscreen that lives in the middle of the dash.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
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While events were shuffled around to fit a new schedule, the royals will also be about to pace themselves following the monarch's recent health setback.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
This declaration of wrestling royalty hits many fans strongly.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
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Paulie eventually wrestles control of it, but not before Reacher can plug the barrel with a bullet.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Since then, while tallies have fluctuated, the average has been around 180 clashes per day, an increase of about 30%.—
Andrew Carey and Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
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Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt The WrestleMania 31 match between The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt, a clash of dark characters, was disappointing for several reasons.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Forty-two years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Steves stumbled upon his diary, rereading passages about his formative trip.—
Laura Manske,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Discovery: On a hike with her family, a 3-year-old stumbled across a 3,800-year-old Egyptian amulet.—
Justin Porter,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In 2017, the administration fought hard and communicated clearly.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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While there is no vaccine to prevent the common cold nor a specific medicine to cure it, there are ways to manage your symptoms while your body fights the illness.—
Lauren Schlanger,
Verywell Health,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kilmer's passing comes after years of public and private health struggles, most notably his long battle with throat cancer.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
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And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Kiki Platform Mary Jane Few shoes have stomped their way into the fashion lexicon quite as rapidly as Marc Jacobs’s Kiki platforms.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
18 Mar. 2025
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Witnesses on the flight told authorities Augustin was stomping, yelling, shaking and being incoherent, the document continued.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA TODAY,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffle. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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