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
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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
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Recent Examples of tussle
Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Paired with zucchini spears and pine nuts, your tongue tussles with pillowy soft textures and crunch.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Coy Wire, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
This is not the first time Finkam and city councilors have tussled over management of the events and festivals Carmel has become known for.
—Jake Allen, IndyStar, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Noun
The next day, however, a football-style tussle left him injured.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Paired with zucchini spears and pine nuts, your tongue tussles with pillowy soft textures and crunch.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
The only other time two 40-year-old starting QBs tussled was when the New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees took down Tom Brady’s Bucs twice in the 2020 regular season, but Brady had the last laugh beating Brees in the playoffs en route to winning the Super Bowl.
—Coy Wire, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
This is not the first time Finkam and city councilors have tussled over management of the events and festivals Carmel has become known for.
—Jake Allen, IndyStar, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussle
Noun
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Much of this strife, including throughout the 1967-1970 civil war and subsequent clashes over the decades, has also been closely tied to feuds across ethnic and territorial lines.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Pfizer and Novo Nordisk are in a takeover clash over the obesity biotech Metsera, with both pharmaceutical giants raising their bids for the startup as of Monday.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Bertha Coombs,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Helga once wrestled down a drunk fisherman in the Café, a man of above-average size, and then threw him out like a piece of rubbish; Jens thus transfers most of his weight automatically to her; who is this kid, by the way?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Season one reportedly will be centered around DC bad guy Gorilla Grodd, who often wrestles The Flash.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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David Wolf, the executive director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Scottsbluff, said experts estimate that as many 10 people died for every mile of the trail ‒ perhaps as many as 20,000 travelers, plus an unknown number of Native Americans killed during skirmishes.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
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The skirmish brought players from both teams out of the dugouts and out of the bullpens.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Barton gave the jury the impression of a man prepared to go into daily combat on numerous fronts, constantly fighting one battle after another, in service of his principles.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Players fought, fought, fought, gave us every chance in the world.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Davidson Wildcats’ men’s basketball team hunted the three-ball early and often in the 40th edition of the battle for the Hornets’ Nest, connecting frequently on the way to a 62-55 victory over the Charlotte 49ers on Tuesday night.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Nov. 2025
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In a battle of NFC behemoths, the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (7-2) escaped Green Bay with a 10-7 win.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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There was yelling, people falling, and some who appeared to get hurt in the scuffle, Lee said.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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Their scuffle escalated — with Banegas holding a Glock pistol and, later, pulling the trigger.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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From its beginning, the leaders of the rebellion well understood the global reach and resonance of their great struggle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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The historic build-up stands in stark contrast to the United States’ own supply struggles.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussle. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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