tussle

noun tus·sle \ ˈtə-səl \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Examples: tussle in a Sentence

Definition of tussle

1 : a physical contest or struggle : scuffle

2 : an intense argument, controversy, or struggle

See tussle defined for English-language learners

Examples of tussle in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of tussle from the Web

Burr's vote against the rescissions package is an early sign of a political tussle that may lie ahead.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: How a conservation fund helped sink Trump's budget-trimming efforts," 25 June 2018
There was a small tussle after the man on the touchline tried to grab the ball out of the Manchester United midfielder's grasp.

— SI.com, "PHOTO: Man Utd Star Nemanja Matic Posts Brilliant Message After World Cup Scuffle," 19 June 2018
Time and tales of what could have been of Canibus and Uncle L’s titan tussle leaves legend on who won bar for bar.

— datwon thomas, Billboard, "Why 1998 Was the Greatest Year of My Hip-Hop Lifetime," 1 June 2018
The final quarterfinal match of the night produced another five set tussle in which Miami Southwest ultimately prevailed over South Broward in a match that ended just before 1 a.m. Saturday.

— tim dwyer, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Cardinal Gibbons and Boca Raton advance, will meet in state boys volleyball semifinal," 5 May 2018
The Serpents and the Dark Circle have a light physical tussle about this.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "'Riverdale' Season 2 Episode 20 Recap: Cheryl Might Be in Huge Danger," 2 May 2018
Added to the Post's drama was the tussle between the powers that be at the paper and Katharine Graham — the first female publisher of a major American newspaper.

— chris foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New movies: 'The Post,' 'Proud Mary,' 'The Commuter,' 'Paddington 2,' 'Big Sonia'," 11 Jan. 2018
The tussle has spilled from scientific journals and conferences into contentious letters from lawyers.

— New York Times, "Asteroids and Adversaries: Challenging What NASA Knows About Space Rocks," 14 June 2018
Still, the tussle between administrations and the media over sensitive leaks has been a recurring feature of recent presidencies, as officials seek to balance freedom of the press with the need to protect the nation’s secrets.

— sadie gurman, WSJ, "After Senate Staffer’s Indictment, Warnings of Press Freedom Battles Ahead," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tussle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of tussle

1629

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

tussle Synonyms

tussle

verb

Definition of tussle

tussled; tussling play \ˈtə-s(ə-)liŋ\

intransitive verb

: to struggle roughly : scuffle

See tussle defined for English-language learners

See tussle defined for kids

Examples of tussle in a Sentence

The two basketball players tussled for the ball.
The residents of the neighborhood tussled with city hall for years about the broken parking meters.