# scuff

> English word · Verb · IPA /skʌf/ · frequency rank #56,421

## Definitions
1. To scrape the feet while walking.
2. To scrape and roughen the surface of (shoes, etc.)
3. To hit lightly, to brush against.
4. To mishit (a shot on a ball) due to poor contact with the ball.

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/scuff