1no object, with adverbial Walk by dragging one's feet along or without lifting them fully from the ground.

1. 1.1 Shift one's position while sitting or move one's feet while standing, typically because of boredom, nervousness, or embarrassment.
   Christine shuffled uneasily in her chair

   with object Ben shuffled his feet in the awkward silence

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Michael kept his eyes on his feet as he shuffled into my room.
   • I couldn't see from under my pillow, but I knew he was probably near the door shuffling from foot to foot in a nervous fashion.
   • The guests shuffled to their feet, still shocked over what had almost occurred.
   • I shuffled about a foot into the middle, hoping he'd lay off the fact I was freaking out.
   • Unsure of how to respond, the audience shuffled to its feet.
   • I shuffled to my feet, gathered my binder, and slung my backpack over one shoulder lazily.
   • He always kept it short and one of his feet shuffled around when he was nervous, as he did just then.
   • An older lady hobbled into the crowd, her feet shuffling under her and her hand shaky on her cane.
   • The dive blokes shuffled their feet with embarrassment, trying to pretend that it wasn't happening, but unable to stop gawping.
   • His hands moved quickly when he talked, and he shuffled from one foot to the other, as if dancing.
   • People would run from across the street to try and grab a dry space among the crowd, who were muttering to themselves and shuffling from foot to foot while they waited for the storm to abate.
   • A pair of feet shuffled to the front, and the rest formed a line.
   • I averted my gaze to the tarred road between us, beneath us, and restrained my feet from shuffling ashamedly.
   • The old lady had got to her feet and after shuffling slowly forwards, was standing in awe next to the younger woman.
   • Riley cleared his throat and shuffled uneasily on his feet.
   • ‘You might be waiting a while,’ she muttered miserably, shuffling to her feet.
   • When the whispering started, she began to shuffle her feet in embarrassment, her combat boots scarping harshly against the linoleum.
   • He rubbed the back of his neck and shuffled to his other foot.
   • His wild eyes were watching the boys and his feet shuffled uneasily.
   • Claire looked at her feet, shuffling uncomfortably in place.

   Synonyms

   scrape, drag, scratch, grind, scuffle, scuff
2. 1.2shuffle something intowith object Put part of one's body into (an item of clothing), typically in a clumsy way.
   she shuffled her feet into a pair of shoes

2with object Rearrange (a pack of cards) by sliding them over each other quickly.

1. 2.1 Move (people or things) around so as to occupy different positions or to be in a different order.
   my father shuffled his money around various building societies

   she shuffled her papers into a neat pile

   the selectors have been shuffling their resources in recent matches

   Example sentencesExamples

   • He sat at his seat behind the desk shuffling his papers around angrily.
   • The rest of those cowardly rats just stared at the ceiling and shuffled their papers.
   • The backs have overcome their attacking troubles, and shuffling players around in positions seems to have paid off.
   • I could add new entries, shuffle the order of entries and delete entries from this list.
   • He smiled and winked, then checked his watch and began shuffling papers around on his desk.
   • Votes will be recorded on a disc in each count centre and then brought to a central area, where they will be shuffled in order to guarantee voters' anonymity.
   • She shuffled a few papers before moving to stand in front of the rows of desks.
   • This would include bowling changes, field changes, shuffling the batting order, speeding up or slowing down the pace of the game, etc.
   • It all seems very dull: shuffling bits of paper in endless files.
   • How about applying the same tax rules and rates to companies and individuals so people don't spend half their time shuffling money around to minimise tax.
   • Cole came into his cubicle and shuffled some of the papers on top.
   • When my turn came, he was shuffling papers around at his desk and greeted me with a flourish of his left arm.
   • She shuffled the papers, straightened them, and then filed them away somewhere.
   • He looked down at the floor and began shuffling a paper clip that was lying on the floor around with his foot.
   • In lieu of using polls to determine a candidate's strength among the voters, prudent observers will watch how the campaign teams shuffle their money.
   • She shuffled papers on her desk, and he went into his office, made a few phone calls, and waited for the confrontation.
   • Fifty or more counters sit at trestle tables shuffling the ballot papers into piles of 50.
   • He was shuffling papers around in a large file but stopped when he saw me look up.
   • Dexter shuffled the papers in his lap, squinting through the reading glasses that he'd been promising to upgrade for three months.
   • A lot of what a manager does all day, clearly, is sit behind a desk shuffling paper.
2. 2.2 Play or arrange (tracks on a music player) in a random order.
   the control lets you shuffle or skip songs by flicking the phone with your wrist

   Example sentencesExamples

   • For example, the playlist gives you intros interspersed with clips in the appropriate order, but if your player is shuffling tunes it won't preserve that order.
   • Shuffling the order of tracks doesn't prop up any emotions or themes or kill any "album" concepts.
   • It also can alert you to text messages, mute or reject incoming calls, and shuffle the songs on any of the new Walkman phones.
   • You can shake it to shuffle songs and turn it sideways to watch music and flick through album covers.
   • I've finally discovered the point of shuffle (forgive me if everyone else has been gaining great satisfaction from shuffling the 10 tracks on an album all these years).
   • With some discs, it might not much matter; however, this album is not just a collection of songs that could be shuffled about.
   • Shuffling across thousands of songs suddenly becomes an utterly compelling experience.
   • The site will also provide Irish users with features such as iMix, a way in which users can publish their playlist; party shuffle, a playlist that automatically shuffles and plays songs from the user's library; and gift certificates.
   • The software's shuffle-play capability juxtaposes them in intriguing ways, even shuffling through only the tracks played in the past 90 days.
   • You can shuffle song order, making it fairly easy to say "play everything I have in a random order".
   • The new one has a far superior menu system and you can shuffle to the next song by shaking it.
   • As pretentious as that sounds, the menus are actually extremely well laid out, and even include options for repeating and shuffling of the disc and tracks.
   • Internet radio is different: it may mean shuffling tracks, personalisation, downloading.
   • No matter how I shuffle the songs, I keep coming across these Britney clumps.
   • Ashton and I were fooling around with the karaoke machine, and we decided to select all songs and shuffle it.
   • It took a far more computer literate friend to help out before I could finally find the right socket, but after that I was away and it has been worth it for the pure joy of shuffling my tunes, as I believe the expression goes.
   • The Evolution lets you hide your gadgets here-and-there about your person, while keeping them near enough to your fingertips to shuffle tunes and find your camera in an instant.
   • Once you've got 1200 + songs to shuffle with, surfing that random access is hugely enjoyable.
   • 'You OK getting back?' Tina asked, shuffling the songs on the iPod to start the dancing.
   • Advanced Shake Control lets you shuffle or skip songs by flicking the phone with your wrist.
3. 2.3shuffle throughno object Sort or look through (a number of things) hurriedly.
   he shuffled through the papers

   Example sentencesExamples

   • How is the epidemic deterred by airline passengers shuffling through trays of disinfectant?
   • But he shuffled through the pack of pictures without looking at them.
   • ‘Wait a minute,’ I said, shuffling through the photos.
   • Why was he shuffling through glossy brochures on his lap at the same time?
   • Katerina sat in the middle of her room, on the bed to be exact, shuffling through old photographs of Mitzy and Renee, who had taken the day off to go shopping.
   • At a desk to the very side of the room, a very overweight, red-faced man was shuffling through some files and stuffing them into Manila folders.
   • I watched this guy look around, jump into the dumpster, shuffle through a ton of dirty diapers and locate a half-eaten sandwich.
   • Devon retorted, shuffling through his bag and pulling out a red apple, ‘Here, you should eat.’
   • Fossett shuffles through the papers strewn across the chart table and digs out a list of speed-sailing records he has compiled.
   • The big box of Christmas paper came down from the cupboard above the microwave, and Mum shuffled through her collection, sorting them into various piles.
   • Ket shuffled through her papers again and slotted them back into her bag.
   • Not only does this keep you focused on answering the question, it also keeps the reader focused on the proposal, without switching back and forth while shuffling through papers.
   • The clerk shuffles through a pile of documents, tells him not to worry, he does have an appointment, and to go back to where he came from.
   • Dennis is busy organizing his desk, shuffling through all sorts of papers.
   • Greg began shuffling through his desk in search of something.
   • It is accessible but it suffers from too many personalities shuffling through on a page by page basis.
   • The Health Service worker says: ‘hold on a minute will you caller’ and shuffles through a filing cabinet to find the necessary forms.
   • ‘Oh yeah, it's fine,’ she said absently, shuffling through the mail to make sure there were no emergencies.
   • It's worth the trouble, just to be able to dream a little over a third cup of coffee, shuffling through your newspaper and doing a bit of desultory people-watching.
   • She was shuffling through my papers on the desk.

3shuffle something offwith object Get out of or avoid a responsibility or obligation.

1. 3.1archaic no object Behave in a shifty or evasive manner.
   Mr Milles did not frankly own it, but seem'd to shuffle about it
2. 3.2shuffle out ofarchaic no object Get out of (a difficult situation) in an underhand way.
   he shuffles out of the consequences by vague charges of undue influence

1A shuffling movement, walk, or sound.

1. 1.1 A quick dragging or scraping movement of the feet in dancing.
   Violet tried on a top hat and did a brief vaudeville shuffle

   Example sentencesExamples

   • One breaks into an impromptu jig, or sun dance, or hobo shuffle, whatever, while the others clap the beat.
   • Whether the movement he notes is a ‘momentous step’, or a sideways shuffle, is a matter of interpretation.
   • A simple shuffle has no way of knowing who is dancing to what.
   • Behind us, a middle-aged couple began to dance, a gentle rhythmic shuffle which seemed to catch on amongst the audience.
2. 1.2 A dance performed with quick dragging or scraping movements of the feet.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • The couple still enjoy a soft shoe shuffle during a tea dance at the Trafford Centre and Edna said her life with Jim had been wonderful.
   • It is not known when the shuffle was first performed on turf, rather than in a lounge room, but it is definitely known that opposition clubs hated it.
   • The shuffle, however, is like it was designed especially for me.
   • Along with the other ‘schoolgirls’ in the ladies' chorus, they have been practising the art of the Japanese shuffle.
3. 1.3 A piece of music for or in the style of a shuffle.
   mass noun it's the usual blend of boogie, shuffle, and ballad

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Blind Lemon recently released their debut self-titled album, which showcases the band's range of sounds from swing and shuffle to slow blues.
   • For Line of Fire, he sets up a jazzy shuffle on the drums while a lone guitar twangs thousands of feet below.
   • ‘I Send My Love to You’ starts slowly but is rescued by a rockabilly shuffle.
   • Highlights therefore include the acoustic shuffle of The Charging Sky, which includes some really lush melodies, excellent slide guitar and really fun lyrics.
4. 1.4 A rhythmic motif based on a shuffle dance step and typical of early jazz, consisting of alternating crotchets and quavers in a triplet pattern.

2An act of shuffling a pack of cards.

1. 2.1 A change of order or relative positions; a reshuffle.
   the Prime Minister may have to consider a cabinet shuffle in the spring

   Example sentencesExamples

   • McManus also raised eyebrows with a number of administrative shuffles that promoted some cops and transferred others who had been high up in his predecessor's administration.
   • He also ruled out an immediate cabinet shuffle, but noted ministers could be replaced if courts find them guilty of crimes.
   • Whittred, previously the minister of state for Intermediate, Long-term and Home Care, was the other North Shore loser in the cabinet shuffle.
   • After a cabinet shuffle last year, he was made minister of community government and transportation, as well as culture, language, elders and youth.
   • This summer also brought two important cabinet shuffles.
   • There was one last shuffle of positions as they prepared for another legendary story.
   • It never fails to amaze me that junior high school pecking-order shuffles and re-shuffles are often the best way to read the policy tea leaves in the capital city of the world's most powerful nation.
   • As well as re-orging every quarter the corporate wizards also like us to have a desk shuffle on a regular basis, making you feel much like a character at the mad hatters tea party.
   • The Presidential Office denied that a Cabinet shuffle was being considered.
   • Last Sunday, he fired long-time Finance Minster Paul Martin, in the second emergency cabinet shuffle in a week.
   • Namibians were thrown a curved ball this week when the President abruptly announced a minor cabinet shuffle, which included the sacking of a minister and his deputy.
   • But he made no mention of a cabinet shuffle, despite the fact that rumours are swirling around Nassau about such a move.
   • The fact two cabinet ministers did not seek re-election might, however, force a cabinet shuffle, Lemieux suggested.
2. 2.2 A facility on a music player for playing tracks in an arbitrary order.
   I had my iPod on shuffle and ‘Eleanor Rigby’ just happened to begin playing

   as modifier a shuffle facility

   Example sentencesExamples

   • I admit, it's a tough situation, especially since the CD shuffle often occurs when the parent is behind the wheel of a vehicle.
   • And that means that the music at work will go back onto proper rotation, not the half-assed shuffle of one CD alternated with Christmas carols.
   • A little song order shuffle, and 6 other tunes, and bang - a CD can have the word very in the title.

3archaic A piece of equivocation or subterfuge.