tussle

1 of 2

noun

tus·​sle ˈtə-səl How to pronounce tussle (audio)
Synonyms of tusslenext
1
: a physical contest or struggle : scuffle
2
: an intense argument, controversy, or struggle

tussle

2 of 2

verb

tussled; tussling ˈtə-s(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce tussle (audio)

intransitive verb

: to struggle roughly : scuffle

Examples of tussle in a Sentence

Noun The suspect was arrested after a tussle with a security guard. a tussle for control of the company The President is in for another tussle with Congress. Verb Two players tussled for the ball. The residents of the neighborhood tussled with city hall for years about the broken parking meters.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Roaring and grunting, his body sleek with blood and sweat, Conan tussles and grapples with a series of opponents, dominating them all, while an audience of torch-wielding vulgarians shouts and howls at the pit’s lip. Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 That led to a behind-the-scenes tussle between OPD and federal authorities about what to release to the public and when. Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Verb
But the Americans tussled right back, and never totally lost their cool. Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026 Bowser tussled with Trump for much of 2025 over deploying the National Guard and briefly taking over the city's police department while cooperating with the White House on other matters such as clearing homeless encampments. Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tussle

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English (Scots) tussillen, frequentative of Middle English -tusen, -tousen to tousle — more at touse

First Known Use

Noun

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1638, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tussle was in 1629

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tussle. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

tussle

1 of 2 verb
tus·​sle ˈtəs-əl How to pronounce tussle (audio)
tussled; tussling
ˈtəs-(ə-)liŋ

tussle

2 of 2 noun
1
: a physical contest or struggle
2
: a rough argument or a struggle against difficult odds

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