scuffle
scuffle Lexical Profile
scuffle Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A short, confused fight or struggle at close quarters.
"A brief scuffle broke out near the entrance before security personnel stepped in to separate the crowd."
An act or sound of moving in a hurried, confused, or shuffling manner.
"She heard the faint scuffle of footsteps in the hallway outside her office."
A Dutch hoe with a flat blade used for pushing and pulling just below the surface of the soil to clear weeds.
"The gardener used a sharp scuffle to clear the gravel path of sprouting weeds."
• verb
To engage in a short, confused fight or struggle at close quarters.
"Two players scuffled briefly over the loose ball before the referee blew the whistle."
To move in a hurried, confused, or awkward manner with scraping or dragging feet.
"The children scuffled down the stairs in their oversized slippers."
• Rhymes for scuffle
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the late 16th century, probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Swedish skuffa ('to push or shove'), formed with the frequentative suffix -le to indicate repeated, disorderly movement.