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
Appleton was in charge of recreating Barrymore’s golden tresses by skillfully applying a wig that was tousled just the right amount.
—
Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024
The Kylie Skin founder winked at the camera and shared a pout before shaking her head from side to side and tousling her hair.
—Jenny Haward, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
To round out all the looks, model Precious Lee wore her hair tousled into an updo, with just a touch of lip gloss to end the week.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 2 Feb. 2024
The waves weren't precise or uniform in shape, but rather looked as though they'd been styled with a three-barrel iron, then roughed up and tousled for an undone finish.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024
The Kylie Skin founder winked at the camera and shared a pout before shaking her head from side to side and tousling her hair.
—Jenny Haward, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
To round out all the looks, model Precious Lee wore her hair tousled into an updo, with just a touch of lip gloss to end the week.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 2 Feb. 2024
The waves weren't precise or uniform in shape, but rather looked as though they'd been styled with a three-barrel iron, then roughed up and tousled for an undone finish.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousle
Verb
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Globally, heatwaves, droughts, and extreme weather are disrupting supply chains, inflating food prices, and undermining financial stability.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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These attacks don’t just disrupt operations but also expose deeply personal financial information that can fuel identity theft, fraud and long-term reputational damage.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Nicolo Barella would often drop between Stefan de Vrij and right centre-back Matteo Darmian or pull wide outside of Urawa’s defensive block to kickstart Inter’s possession, meaning the Japanese side were comfortable shuffling from side to side with the game in front of them.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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The latest major example of this reliable horror subgenre shuffling (or in this case running) into theaters is 28 Years Later.—
James Grebey,
Time,
20 June 2025
Verb
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The Heisenberg uncertainty principle teaches us that observation disturbs the observed.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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Hammond, not wanting the dinosaurs disturbed, sends behavioral paleontologist Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) to Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs have been living without human interference.—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Map their journey to spot every gap, make buying effortless with fewer steps, communicate clearly so no one gets confused, add personal touches that create connection, and follow up fast to turn buyers into advocates.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Letters: Washington, D.C., has a deficit of humanity Do not confuse my warning to Israel for a shred of understanding for what Hamas did on Oct. 7, 2023.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tousle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousle. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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