1
: a physical contest or struggle : scuffle
2
: an intense argument, controversy, or struggle
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
Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
From Agnes’ brutal childbirth scenes to the wrenching heartbreak when the plague hits their household and takes 11-year-old Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), Zhao immerses you in Agnes and Will’s grief while also touching on their own individual internal tussles.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
Illinois is giving residents more time to shop for health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange, as Congress continues to tussle over whether to extend subsidies that reduce the cost of coverage.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tussle
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Noun
Sosa-Celis eventually crashed on a street in North Minneapolis, exited his vehicle, and, amid some kind of tussle with federal agents, was shot in the leg.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
From Agnes’ brutal childbirth scenes to the wrenching heartbreak when the plague hits their household and takes 11-year-old Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), Zhao immerses you in Agnes and Will’s grief while also touching on their own individual internal tussles.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
Cowboys tussle with agitated horses.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
Illinois is giving residents more time to shop for health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange, as Congress continues to tussle over whether to extend subsidies that reduce the cost of coverage.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tussle. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tussle
2 of 2 noun1
: a physical contest or struggle
2
: a rough argument or a struggle against difficult odds
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