MEANING
1. To walk with short steps while dragging the feet along the ground.
2. To mix or rearrange items, especially cards, papers, or their order.
Use it for
Describe a dragging walk or a rearrangement.A familiar verb can slow a scene’s movement or suggest hesitation through sound and gait.
Words that belong together
- shuffle along
- shuffle one’s feet
- shuffle a deck
- shuffle the order
- shuffle papers
On the page
He shuffled toward the desk, slippers whispering over the tiles.
She shuffled the cards twice before dealing.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- shuffle
- Past tense
- shuffled
- Past participle
- shuffled
- Present participle
- shuffling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- shuffle
- Present continuous
- am/is/are shuffling
- Present perfect
- have/has shuffled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been shuffling
- Past
- shuffled
- Past continuous
- was/were shuffling
- Past perfect
- had shuffled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been shuffling
- Future
- will shuffle
- Future continuous
- will be shuffling
- Future perfect
- will have shuffled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been shuffling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Explore related collections
Usage notes
The gait often suggests age, fatigue, reluctance, or confinement, but the context determines the implication. Sense 2: The mixing sense is not restricted to cards; it also applies to rearranging a sequence or items.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.