To drag your feet while walking, making a scraping sound, or to mark a surface by rubbing it roughly.
Possibly from Scandinavian origin (Swedish 'skuffa'), or imitative. The word entered English in the 1700s and has remained relatively stable in meaning.
Kids scuff their shoes so fast that parents buy multiple pairs—the onomatopoeia works perfectly because 'scuff' sounds like the actual scraping noise!
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