scuffle

Disorderly minor brawl

A scuffle is a brief, disorderly physical struggle—more chaotic than a punch, less organized than a fight.

People scuffle when they grab, shove, and grapple without landing clean blows: A scuffle broke out between the protesters and police.

The word suggests something messy and inconclusive rather than violent.

To scuffle is to engage in such a struggle, or to move with a shuffling, scraping gait.

fight

tussle

Brief physical struggle

brawlDisorderly group fight
fracasNoisy disorderly fight
altercationHeated verbal dispute

melee · fisticuffs · dustup · punch-up · set-to · affray · ruckus · donnybrook · free-for-all · rumble

grapple

wrestle

Engage in physical combat

struggleLabored effort against resistance
tangleTwisted mass of strands
clinchSettle beyond doubt

grip · hold · pin · takedown · restrain · grappling · contend · sparring · lock · maneuver

shuffle

shamble

Awkward, dragging gait

scrapeRub harshly against
dragResistance through fluid
shuffleRandomize by mixing

stumble · scrabble · scramble · trudge · slide · tread · footfall · rasp · grate

Categories

aggressionhostility, violence, attack, fight, combativeness
conflictclash, fight, war, battle, dispute
clashesconflict, confrontation, collision, fight, battle
commotioncommotion, clamor, brouhaha, bedlam, hullabaloo
conflictsargument, fight, war, battle, dispute
fightsfight, brawl, scrap, tussle, fistfight

Opposites

conflict vs. harmony

scufflepeace

Freedom from disturbance

agreement · harmony · truce · accord · reconciliation

movement quality

scuffleglide

Move with effortless continuity

float · drift · waltz · slide · breeze

action vs. stillness

scufflestillness

Complete lack of motion

calm · repose · rest · tranquility · serenity

Phrases

scuff marksSurface scratches from friction

Family

scuff, scuffles, scuffled, scuffling, scufflings

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG