What does "scuff" mean?
A mark left by scuffing or scraping.
Scuff
/skʌf/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A mark left by scuffing or scraping.
- Grammar: scuff is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: ablate, ablation, abrade, abrade.
- Useful contrasts: buff, ignore, omit.
- Usage evidence: Please don't scuff your shoes on the recently mopped floor.
How to use "scuff"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scuff" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scuff" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scuff" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scuff" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scuff" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ablate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scuff", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mark left by scuffing or scraping. attributive, sometimes
"Someone left scuff marks in the sand."
- 2 A scurf; a scale.
- 3 the act of scuffing (scraping or dragging the feet) wordnet
- 4 The sound of a scuff or scrape.
"All you could hear was the rhythmic scuff of Mr. Stink’s battered brogues as he walked slowly along the road"
- 5 The back part of the neck; the scruff.
"One of the biggest and most redoubted of the Black Family was now in that seat of dignity, and, refusing surlily to yield it at Jasper's rude summons, was seized by the scuff of the neck, and literally hurled on the table in front."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a slipper that has no fitting around the heel wordnet
- 7 A slipper. Australia, New-Zealand
- 8 A (sudden) shower of rain or mist. Scotland, uncommon
"It was a dark, gloomy day, with black clouds driven by the wind, and scuffs of grey showers scudding among the hilltops. Presently lying couched amid the heather we saw the dragoons come marching loosely two and two,[…]"
Verb
- 1 To scrape the feet while walking.
- 2 poke at with the foot or toe wordnet
- 3 To scrape and roughen the surface of (shoes, etc.)
- 4 mar by scuffing wordnet
- 5 To hit lightly, to brush against.
"The lawns and gardens had been scuffed away."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 get or become scuffed wordnet
- 7 To mishit (a shot on a ball) due to poor contact with the ball.
"The Montenegro captain was finding space at will and followed up with a speculative shot that he scuffed wide, after Wales were slow in closing down the Juventus striker."
- 8 walk without lifting the feet wordnet
Example
"Please don't scuff your shoes on the recently mopped floor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scuff"?
Common synonyms include: ablate, ablation, abrade, abrade, abrades, abrading.
How do you use "scuff" in a sentence?
Please don't scuff your shoes on the recently mopped floor.
How do you pronounce "scuff"?
Pronounced /skʌf/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Scots scuff (“to touch lightly, graze, hit”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old Norse skúfa (“to shove, push aside”), from Proto-Germanic *skeubaną (“to shove”). Or, perhaps imitative. More at shove.
Etymology 2
See scuft