tussle

1 of 2

noun

tus·​sle ˈtə-səl 

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 

intransitive verb

: to struggle roughly : scuffle

Synonyms of tussle

Noun

• clash
• skirmish
• battle
• fight
• scuffle
• struggle

Verb

• wrestle
• fight

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

Noun

And there was a whole lot of tussle among the top players in the women’s draw Sunday. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

The Coastal Commission signed off on the project a few years ago, after tussles over low-cost housing provisions during the course of erecting yet another luxury hotel. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Verb

But for those who find (and in some cases may be slightly mystified as to why) that there is a nagging, needling value to Schrader’s ongoing project of tussling with grandiose dilemmas of transgression and deliverance, there is some new news here. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026

Madden tussled with the co-op, at one point unsuccessfully trying to buy the fourth-floor apartment to make a duplex of her own. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for tussle

• bustle
• hustle
• muscle
• mussel
• russel
• rustle
• trussell
• mofussil

Kids Definition

tussle

1 of 2 verb

tus·​sle ˈtəs-əl 

tussled; tussling

ˈtəs-(ə-)liŋ

: scuffle sense 1

tussle

2 of 2 noun

1

: a physical contest or struggle

2

: a rough argument or a struggle against difficult odds