as in wrestled
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
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Recent Examples of tussled
As for her glam, her hair was tussled into a messy bun with fringe and wisps of hair to frame her face.
—
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
The two economic powers have also tussled over lingering issues including tariffs, agricultural purchases, fentanyl flows, and geopolitical flashpoints such as Taiwan.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
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
The order, part of a series targeting law firms Trump has tussled with, cited Susman Godfrey’s work on elections and said the government would not do business with any of its clients or permit any of its staff in federal buildings.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025
These supplies, though not as fancy as the latest kicks, the coolest backpack or the phones kids now have to be tussled with to put away in order to focus, are essentials in creating a learning environment where children can thrive.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
The two economic powers have also tussled over lingering issues including tariffs, agricultural purchases, fentanyl flows, and geopolitical flashpoints such as Taiwan.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
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
The order, part of a series targeting law firms Trump has tussled with, cited Susman Godfrey’s work on elections and said the government would not do business with any of its clients or permit any of its staff in federal buildings.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025
These supplies, though not as fancy as the latest kicks, the coolest backpack or the phones kids now have to be tussled with to put away in order to focus, are essentials in creating a learning environment where children can thrive.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussled
Verb
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The mental gymnastics felt very familiar to how Republicans wrestled themselves to yes with Trump a decade ago.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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Tala, who also wrestled under the name Leigh Laurel, was a part of the WWE system.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Players fought, fought, fought, gave us every chance in the world.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
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Germany and France fought centuries of bloody wars before becoming the bedrock of the European Union.—
Jon Medved,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussled. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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