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 flirtatious exchange began after Yung Miami shared a clip of herself on X/Twitter in a tight denim corset, playfully tousling her hair and giving the camera a wink and kiss.
—
Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 7 Feb. 2025
Her hair, styled by her go-to hairstylist, Tym Wallace, was brushed over to one side and tousled at the crown for a little volume, with the length hitting right below her cheekbone at a sharp angle.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Sep. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 7 Feb. 2025
Her hair, styled by her go-to hairstylist, Tym Wallace, was brushed over to one side and tousled at the crown for a little volume, with the length hitting right below her cheekbone at a sharp angle.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Sep. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousle
Verb
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Indiana Democrats lack the ability to break quorum and disrupt legislative processes, like their counterparts in Texas are currently doing, Pierce told anchor Kate Bolduan.—
Indianapolis Star,
IndyStar,
7 Aug. 2025
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Usually, Alzheimer’s disease also causes personality changes, loss of appetite, and disrupted sleep.2 Sometimes, the symptoms can help a healthcare provider diagnose a person’s specific type of dementia.—
Heidi Moawad,
Verywell Health,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The coaching staff shuffled its depth chart, handing extra reps to players who had performed well over the previous nine practices and deserved a longer look.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
4 Aug. 2025
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From ones that incorporate fans to odes to classic binge-worthy TV, with the help of social media, everyone’s creative wheels are turning — and people are learning one new step after another, feet shuffling, turning, stepping with ease.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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He was recently disturbed by a Reddit thread in which a user posted jargon-heavy chatbot messages that seemed eerily familiar.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
10 Aug. 2025
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This experience left him disturbed by how his presence affected others.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The refusal by the union to obey the order left many travelers at Toronto Pearson International Airport confused and frustrated on Aug. 17.—
Allison Lampert,
USA Today,
17 Aug. 2025
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Those news stories are confusing the timeline for the older stimulus checks.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tousle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousle. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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