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
The result appeared toward the end of the post, which included a photo of Stamos checking out his new look and a video of Capri tousling his hair.
—
Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Her dark pixie crop was curled and tousled, with strong eyebrows, and feline-like eye makeup.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2026
In that original viral campaign launch video, a bearded Platner, his strawberry blonde hair tousled, introduced Maine voters to the issues central to his platform, namely, broad economic populism, taxing billionaires, and universal healthcare.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
Look at Jimmy Fallon, who steered clear of the wrong jokes and tousled the right hair, and is still catching all-caps strays on Truth Social.
—James Folta
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Her dark pixie crop was curled and tousled, with strong eyebrows, and feline-like eye makeup.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2026
In that original viral campaign launch video, a bearded Platner, his strawberry blonde hair tousled, introduced Maine voters to the issues central to his platform, namely, broad economic populism, taxing billionaires, and universal healthcare.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
Look at Jimmy Fallon, who steered clear of the wrong jokes and tousled the right hair, and is still catching all-caps strays on Truth Social.
—James Folta
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousle
Verb
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Almanac installed the unit without building a new facility or disrupting production.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
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With the conflict having disrupted much of the world's oil supplies, markets remain highly sensitive to any headline suggesting either escalation or diplomacy.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Royals shuffled their outfield this offseason.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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The living room has been moved to the second floor in the plans and other rooms were shuffled around, though the project’s size and general design remain roughly the same.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Leo moon disturbs unconscious patterns that are ready to be interrupted.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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Bees are typically not aggressive but can become defensive if their hive is disturbed, especially during yard work or landscaping, city officials said.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This device is a high-tech centrifuge that simulates microgravity by spinning vials with samples around two axes, effectively confusing the cells inside as to their position in space.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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In addition, DraftKings argues that consumers aren’t confused by DraftKings’ use of March Madness.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tousle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousle. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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