# shuffle

/ˈʃəfəɫ/ (US) · /ʃˈʌfəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shuffle
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to walk dragging feet

verb · CEFR B2

to walk slowly without lifting your feet completely off the ground.

For teachers: to walk by dragging or scraping the feet along the ground rather than lifting them.

- The old man shuffled down the hallway in his slippers.
- The exhausted hikers shuffled toward the campsite, their heavy boots scraping against the gravel path with every step.

### 2. to mix cards

verb · CEFR B2

to mix a deck of cards so they are in a random order.

For teachers: to rearrange a deck of playing cards to produce a random probability distribution.

- It is your turn to shuffle the cards before you deal them.
- The dealer shuffled the deck with professional speed, ensuring the players that the game was entirely fair.

### 3. to randomize music

verb · CEFR B2

to play songs from a list in a random order.

For teachers: to play digital audio tracks in a non-sequential, randomized order.

- I usually shuffle my playlist when I go for a run.
- The media player allows users to shuffle tracks within a specific genre or across their entire library.

### 4. to avoid a direct answer

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal

to avoid giving a clear answer or to act in a dishonest way.

For teachers: to behave in an evasive or prevaricating manner; to shift ground during an argument.

- The politician started to shuffle when asked about the missing funds.
- When pressed for a definitive timeline, the CEO began to shuffle, offering vague platitudes instead of concrete dates.

### 5. a dragging walk

noun · CEFR B2

a way of walking where you drag your feet.

For teachers: a slow, dragging gait characterized by a failure to lift the feet.

- I heard the soft shuffle of footsteps in the dark corridor.
- The patient's slow shuffle indicated that his recovery was still in the very early stages.

### 6. music rhythm

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a specific rhythm in blues or jazz music that sounds like a heartbeat.

For teachers: a rhythmic feel based on triplet subdivisions, common in blues and jazz, where the first note of a pair is lengthened.

- The drummer played a classic blues shuffle that made everyone want to dance.
- The guitarist mastered the Texas shuffle, a driving rhythm that requires precise coordination between the bass notes and the lead melody.

## Examples

- I put my playlist on shuffle while I clean the house.
- The listener enabled shuffle to avoid hearing the same sequence of tracks every morning on the train.
- Modern streaming algorithms often replace a true mathematical shuffle with a weighted system that prioritises a user's favourite artists while maintaining the illusion of randomness.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.