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Definition of scuffle noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

scuffle

noun
 
/ˈskʌfl/
 
/ˈskʌfl/
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  1. scuffle (with somebody) | scuffle (between A and B) a short and not very violent fight or struggle
    • Scuffles broke out between police and demonstrators.
    • He was involved in a scuffle with a photographer.
    Synonyms fightfightclash brawl struggle scuffleThese are all words for a situation in which people try to defeat each other using physical force.fight a situation in which two or more people try to defeat each other using physical force:
    • He got into a fight with a man in the bar.
    clash (in the media) a short fight between two groups of people:
    • Clashes broke out between police and demonstrators.
    brawl a noisy and violent fight involving a group of people, usually in a public place:
    • a drunken brawl in a bar
    struggle a fight between two people or groups of people, especially when one of them is trying to escape, or to get something from the other:
    • There were no signs of a struggle at the murder scene.
    scuffle a short and not very violent fight or struggle:
    • He was involved in a scuffle with a photographer.
    Patterns
    • a fight/​clash/​brawl/​struggle/​scuffle over something
    • in a fight/​brawl/​struggle/​scuffle
    • a violent fight/​clash/​struggle
    • to be in/​get into/​be involved in a fight/​clash/​brawl/​scuffle
    • a fight/​clash/​brawl/​scuffle breaks out
    Extra Examples
    • He was injured in a scuffle at the demonstration.
    • a scuffle between rival gangs
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • brief
    • little
    • minor
    verb + scuffle
    • be involved in
    scuffle + verb
    • break out
    • ensue
    preposition
    • in a/​the scuffle
    • scuffle between
    • scuffle with
    See full entry
    Word Originlate 16th cent. (as a verb): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare with Swedish skuffa ‘to push’; related to shove and shuffle.
See scuffle in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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