fight vs scuffle

fight

noun
  • A physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups. 

  • An occasion of fighting. 

  • A conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife. 

  • The will or ability to fight. 

  • A boxing or martial arts match. 

verb
  • To conduct or engage in (battle, warfare etc.). 

  • To engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with. 

  • Of colours or other design elements: to clash; to fail to harmonize. 

  • To try to overpower; to fiercely counteract. 

  • To contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle etc. 

  • To contend in physical conflict with each other, either singly or in war, battle etc. 

  • To strive for something; to campaign or contend for success. 

scuffle

noun
  • A rough, disorderly fight or struggle at close quarters. 

  • Poverty; struggle. 

  • A Dutch hoe, manipulated by both pushing and pulling. 

verb
  • To fight or struggle confusedly at close quarters. 

  • To walk with a shuffling gait. 

  • To make a living with difficulty, getting by on a low income, to struggle financially. 

How often have the words fight and scuffle occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )