SCUFF Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

scuff 1 of 2

verb

ˈskəf

Definition of scuff

as in to scratch

to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface scuffed up her shoes by rubbing her feet under the rung of the chair

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to shuffle

to move heavily or clumsily the miners scuffed past in heavy boots

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scuff

2 of 2

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scuff

Verb

Bootleg’s production deepens the sense of mystery, cranking the reverb and scuffing the surfaces. — Jude Noel, Pitchfork, 22 July 2026 Kostyuk raised her hands and dropped to her knees after Paolini scuffed a shot on her second match point. — ABC News, 8 July 2026

Noun

Painted Walls Walls get dirty easily, from fingerprints from children’s sticky hands to scuff marks from furniture. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 24 Aug. 2026 At the end of the day those new black sneakers had a white scuff mark that wouldn’t come off and the white part near the sole was less white. — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scuff

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuff

Verb

Perhaps that’s just a tactic of a contender behind in the polls and scratching away to be the first Republican to lead California since Arnold Schwarzenegger.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
The fight was so violent that each one of them punched, scratched, bit and slapped the other, Linhardt said.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of scratch

Verb

Ivey and his partner persuaded the Crockfords dealer to rotate the high-value cards 180 degrees before shuffling them back into the pack, citing some obscure superstition as justification.

— Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
In the midst of the rush to finish my syllabi and opening week assignments, as my husband shuffled the kids into their sneakers and Crocs and the car for one last back-to-school outing, everything stopped.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of shuffle

Verb

Pamir, which uses machine learning to scrape, parse and categorize vast amounts of unstructured video, image and social media data for its SaaS database, offers another tool.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
To get the tortoise’s DNA material, Jonathan’s veterinarian Joe Hollins pretended to feed him, wedged his mouth open with a hard glove and scraped cells from inside his cheek.

— Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrape

Noun

Use a rasp and grate a couple of tablespoons right into the raw meat mixture before mixing.

— Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026
The rattle of a bride’s gold earring or the rasp of straightener steam through a bride’s hair takes on a panic-inducingly eerie quality thanks to Marie-Clotilde Chery’s chilling sound design.

— Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of rasp

Verb

Almost sounds silly now, with the way the team has stumbled and bumbled its way through the first four games.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Of the seven clubs that had 14 or more players from their organizations appear in the WBC, several stumbled early and only the Phillies and Brewers made the postseason.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of stumble

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scuff

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Scuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuff. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scuff

verb

noun

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