verb (used without object), scuf·fled, scuf·fling.
- to struggle or fight in a rough, confused manner.
- to go or move in hurried confusion.
- to move or go with a shuffle; scuff.
noun
- a rough, confused struggle or fight.
- a shuffling: a scuffle of feet.
- Also called scuffle hoe. a spadelike hoe that is pushed instead of pulled.
- (in tap dancing) a forward and backward movement of the foot.
verb (intr)
- to fight in a disorderly manner
- to move by shuffling
- to move in a hurried or confused manner
noun
- a disorderly struggle
- the sound made by scuffling or shuffling
noun
- US a type of hoe operated by pushing rather than pulling
v.“to push or fight in a disorderly manner,” 1570s, probably a frequentative form of scuff, of Scandinavian origin. Related: Scuffled; scuffling. As a noun c.1600, from the verb.