as in clash
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
a small tussle on the basketball court was quickly broken up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to wrestle
to seize and attempt to unbalance one another for the purpose of achieving physical mastery
puppies tussling with one another, rolling over and over on the carpet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tussle
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, the firm is racking up legal costs amid a tussle between state regulators and betting exchanges regulated by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Would Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic stay on the right side of the match officials when tussling with Gabriel and William Saliba?
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Noun
The letters, and similar support for Anthropic from tech executives on social media, show how a tussle between one AI company and the Pentagon could mushroom into an industry-wide battle over how best to deploy the powerful technology safely.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, the firm is racking up legal costs amid a tussle between state regulators and betting exchanges regulated by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
Two hummingbirds tussled in low branches.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Would Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic stay on the right side of the match officials when tussling with Gabriel and William Saliba?
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussle
Noun
-
On Friday night, three people were taken into custody amid a clash between pro-Iranian regime demonstrators, who erected a shrine to the slain Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the former supreme leader of Iran, and anti-Khamenei protesters at Washington Square Park.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The recent developments evoke the clash of civilizations theory developed by Samuel Huntington in the 1990s.—
Debidatta A. Mahapatra,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His villains were flamboyant, but Bruce was mournful, reluctant — no onscreen superhero has more palpably wrestled with not wanting to be a superhero.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The man who threw the device had another one on him as cops jumped on him and wrestled him to the ground.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
While the skirmish was going on, Tre White had to be held back by KU assistant Tony Bland, and White did not seem pleased as the two exchanged some words.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
-
What happened Pakistan’s military Sunday escalated days of violent skirmishes with Afghanistan by launching airstrikes on Bagram Air Base, according to Afghan officials.—
Peter Weber,
TheWeek,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The meetings come as the Republican administration seeks to leverage military assets to restore dominance in the hemisphere while now also fighting a war in Iran.—
JOSHUA GOODMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
-
These are people who fought alongside American troops during our last forever war.—
Shawn Vandiver,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Calamia won that battle — and then won first place in the race days later.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Former President Barack Obama is promoting a Democratic effort to redraw congressional lines in Virginia, the latest front in a nationwide redistricting battle ahead of this year's midterm elections.—
MEG KINNARD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Police body camera footage released by the Connecticut Office of Inspector General Inspector showed Walker brandishing a knife and raised the blade toward a policeman who had fallen over during a scuffle in the apartment involving Walker and his family members.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Video from multiple angles showed that Pretti did not try to draw his gun from his waistband before or during the scuffle with federal agents.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The decline of perks, on top of teachers’ financial struggles, may be contributing to burnout at public schools.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The struggle of this transit is patience — or the lack thereof.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussle. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
