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
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2026
In a desperate attempt to protect her baby, the victim whirled around, confronted Aherne and grabbed the knife in the stranger’s hand, her infant child falling from the changing table onto the floor during the scuffle, cops said.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Nate Sylves, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025
The Dodgers' offense has scuffled in the last couple of games, putting more pressure on the pitching staff.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuffle
Noun
She was released and showed back up over an hour later, triggering another scuffle.
—Verb
Prosecutors say Mendez and Ortiz scuffled with one of the suspects, which led to the shooting.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffle
Noun
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Things then turned violent when someone tried to lunge at Black as marshals walked him out of the courtroom, leading to a skirmish appearing to involve about a dozen people.—
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Other conflict hotspots include India/Pakistan following a deadly skirmish in 2025, Congo/Rwanda, and the ongoing civil war in Sudan.—
Verb
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Even with my winter boots and sturdy soles, caution dictates a short stride, a shuffling gait end eyes riveted to the slippery ground.—
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First, the sophomore shuffled back into coverage after showing A-gap pressure to intercept a Bryce Underwood pass over the middle of the field, ending a key fourth-quarter drive.—
Verb
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The Frenchman wrestled an awful Alpine to 11 Q3 appearances in 2025 and brought in 100 percent of his team’s points.—
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For decades, Sarasota County leaders have wrestled with the idea of reopening Midnight Pass, an inlet that split Siesta and Casey keys until its closure in 1983.—
Noun
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The clashes have since descended into an all-out civil war, characterized by ethnic violence, attacks on civilians and atrocities committed by all sides, according to humanitarian groups and foreign governments.—
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Iranian state television aired images of clashes and fires, while the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several police officers were killed overnight, underscoring the increasingly violent nature of the confrontations.—
Verb
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Government agencies and businesses that invest in this training, and that insist every critical number survives a deterministic check, will capture AI's benefits without stumbling into its blind spots.—
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Dodge, still suffering the consequences of axing the popular previous generations of Charger and Challenger muscle cars, saw sales stumble down 28% compared with the previous year.—
Verb
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Barton gave the jury the impression of a man prepared to go into daily combat on numerous fronts, constantly fighting one battle after another, in service of his principles.—
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Players fought, fought, fought, gave us every chance in the world.—
Noun
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With a high-stakes battle for the 2026 midterms looming, the Evergreen State appears poised to join the trend of states using congressional redistricting for partisan advantage.—
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Rattler won the quarterback battle in training camp over Shough, but after going 1-7, Moore made the switch to his rookie.—
Verb
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Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
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Take it slower and stomp a path through new snow or ski on a frozen pond.—
Cite this Entry
“Scuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffle. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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