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

Outside Schiaparelli, the actor’s black leather overcoat is having a bit of a fashion tussle with the green-y lenses of his eyeglasses, but Cassel is a tough dude who can carry that. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026

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

Verb

Pretti, who had disrupted law enforcement on at least one other occasion before his death, tussled with Border Patrol agents before he was shot dead last Saturday. —Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Two hummingbirds tussled in low branches. —Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 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