as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
his grandfather would always tousle the boy's neatly combed hair
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Recent Examples of tousle
Her hair, styled by her go-to hairstylist, Tym Wallace, was brushed over to one side and tousled at the crown for a little volume, with the length hitting right below her cheekbone at a sharp angle.
—
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Sep. 2024
Appleton was in charge of recreating Barrymore’s golden tresses by skillfully applying a wig that was tousled just the right amount.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024
The Kylie Skin founder winked at the camera and shared a pout before shaking her head from side to side and tousling her hair.
—Jenny Haward, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
To round out all the looks, model Precious Lee wore her hair tousled into an updo, with just a touch of lip gloss to end the week.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 2 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Sep. 2024
Appleton was in charge of recreating Barrymore’s golden tresses by skillfully applying a wig that was tousled just the right amount.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024
The Kylie Skin founder winked at the camera and shared a pout before shaking her head from side to side and tousling her hair.
—Jenny Haward, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
To round out all the looks, model Precious Lee wore her hair tousled into an updo, with just a touch of lip gloss to end the week.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 2 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousle
Verb
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These attacks don’t just disrupt operations but also expose deeply personal financial information that can fuel identity theft, fraud and long-term reputational damage.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
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Globally, heatwaves, droughts, and extreme weather are disrupting supply chains, inflating food prices, and undermining financial stability.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Nicolo Barella would often drop between Stefan de Vrij and right centre-back Matteo Darmian or pull wide outside of Urawa’s defensive block to kickstart Inter’s possession, meaning the Japanese side were comfortable shuffling from side to side with the game in front of them.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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The latest major example of this reliable horror subgenre shuffling (or in this case running) into theaters is 28 Years Later.—
James Grebey,
Time,
20 June 2025
Verb
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The Heisenberg uncertainty principle teaches us that observation disturbs the observed.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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Hammond, not wanting the dinosaurs disturbed, sends behavioral paleontologist Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) to Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs have been living without human interference.—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The man is Jack Ryan, not to be confused with the Jack Ryan dreamed up by Tom Clancy.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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And some say they were confused by what their leases said about renters’ insurance, and they were left without coverage.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tousle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousle. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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