1
as in shuffled
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 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
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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
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The midseason trade felt relatively marginal compared to league-wide blockbusters that shuffled James Harden, Darius Garland and Anthony Davis.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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Growing up in a military family, Vogel shuffled between the East Coast and Europe every two to three years.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Having wrestled the title momentum away from Arsenal this week, City are the obvious answer here, but there are reasons for optimism in north London.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Lawmakers in Connecticut have wrestled with how exactly to regulate the issue, particularly in the wake of reports that grocery stores in the state were using facial recognition technology to track shopper activity.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Guest shark Rashaun Williams strapped on his court shoes, wiped them on their mini mat and stomped onto their court.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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The war with Iran is now the second major conflict to demonstrate that the age of mass drone warfare has fully arrived — and with it, a fundamental shift in how conflicts are fought.—
Alexander Benard,
Washington Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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Over 40 Illinois municipalities have since adopted these harmful policies, while many simultaneously fought to prevent social service providers from helping people survive and transition out of homelessness.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After starting the season with the sixth-best odds to win the World Series, the Red Sox had stumbled out of the gate to a 10-17 record.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
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The president briefly stumbled before being assisted to a secure suite reserved for him behind the stage.—
Calvin Woodward,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffled. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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