1
as in to scratch
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface
scuffed up her shoes by rubbing her feet under the rung of the chair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
the miners scuffed past in heavy boots
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scuff
Michael Cox, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Clean the Midsoles of Sneakers If the rubber midsoles of your sneakers get dirty or scuffed, toothpaste can help.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2025
Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 30 Jan. 2026
The interior is made with recycled materials that resist moisture and can be spot cleaned if a spill or scuff pops up.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuff
Verb
Valverde also had a decent chance in August away at Oviedo, when running through on goal on the break and scuffing a shot against the outside of the post.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Clean the Midsoles of Sneakers If the rubber midsoles of your sneakers get dirty or scuffed, toothpaste can help.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2025
Noun
Floors The cleaner can also be used to remove scuff marks from floors.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 30 Jan. 2026
The interior is made with recycled materials that resist moisture and can be spot cleaned if a spill or scuff pops up.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuff
Verb
-
Twice in the last three years, and also in 2011, Repole brought a promising horse to the Derby and had to scratch him before post time.—
Jay Posner,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Unlike nylon brushes, silicone ones carry no risk of scratching or removing paint from your bottle.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Redick has had to shuffle the roster pieces around since, using the final five games of the regular season to assess his rotation options without Doncic and Reaves, who also missed 19 straight games from Christmas until February with a strained calf.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
30 Apr. 2026
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Parkinson’s stem cell trial is underway at UM At the University of Miami, neurologists are testing AI’s capabilities to shuffle through patient data to spot patterns that can help predict which patients may experience rapid decline.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mr Cobra opens like a dark, cobwebbed staircase leading into a vast and foreboding space, all frantic flute and piano, creaks, and bone-chilling screeches (not to mention a slutty monologue seemingly communicated via Google Translate).—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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Your baby was waking at every creak of the floorboard, every passing car, every branch scraping the window.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Smart skidded across the floor for a loose ball and was fouled, a jaw-scraping effort that forced him to check his teeth on his way up from the hardwood.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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There's other data that has been scraped or pulled through hacks or leaks that can be sold for criminals to obtain.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dedicating that much shelf space to the New York Yankees, as your organization gets stomped into the ground by them, at home?—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Like Dijon, svn4vr uses a dexterous, soulful rasp to fight for emotional truth from within songs that occupy shifting senses of space and bear the seams of digital assembly.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
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Deep and smoky with impressive control and just a touch of Etta James rasp, Spiro’s is a voice not so much influenced by jazz legends like Winehouse or Nina Simone but rather a direct descendant.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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During a routine survey in preparation for a housing development in Winsch, local authorities stumbled upon the former Roman camp in August 2025.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
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Clemson also stumbled to a 7-6 mark, a year after registering a 10-4 record in 2024.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuff. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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