scuff

/skəf/

/skəf/

Other forms: scuffed; scuffing; scuffs

When you scuff something, you scrape it in a way that leaves a mark. You might walk very carefully down the street in your new red cowboy boots, being careful not to scuff the toes.

You can scuff a floor by moving heavy furniture, or scuff your new leather backpack by dragging it on the sidewalk. It's easy to scuff new shoes or to scuff your dad's car interior when you try to cram your bike into its hatchback. Scuff also means to drag your feet, the way a reluctant child might do on her way into the dentist's office. The word scuff is Scottish, possibly from a Scandinavian root.

Definitions of scuff

1. verb

   walk without lifting the feet
   synonyms: drag

   type of:

   scuffle, shamble, shuffle

   walk by dragging one's feet
2. verb

   poke at with the foot or toe
   type of:

   kick

   strike with the foot
3. verb

   get or become scuffed
   “These patent leather shoes scuffed”

   type of:

   wear, wear down, wear off, wear out, wear thin

   deteriorate through use or stress
4. verb

   mar by scuffing
   “scuffed shoes”

   type of:

   scrape, scratch, scratch up

   cut the surface of; wear away the surface of
5. noun

   the act of scuffing (scraping or dragging the feet)
   type of:

   rub, wipe

   the act of rubbing or wiping
6. noun

   a slipper that has no fitting around the heel
   synonyms: mule

   type of:

   carpet slipper, slipper

   low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily; usually worn indoors