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
Analysts say Altman and Musk tussled over who would lead the company, and Musk lost.
—
John Ruwitch, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
Vanderbilt, who verbally tussled with Redick on Tuesday after playing just five minutes and receiving an early hook in the second quarter, played a team-high 25 minutes off the bench, contributing six rebounds and five assists.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026
The officer then shoved Phillips, who tussled with the officer and took him to the ground.
—David Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr. 2026
In downtown Hartford, Luari has tussled several times in court over unpaid rent with Lexington Partners, a part owner and manager of 5 Constitution Plaza where The Place 2 Be operates.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Ready for a chopped, tussled look?
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026
The race could revive a pandemic-era rivalry between Kiley and Pan, who tussled over vaccine and public health rules while serving in the state Legislature.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Isaiah Stewart left the bench to confront Bridges, who responded with a punch, and the players tussled.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Pretti, who had disrupted law enforcement on at least one other occasion before his death, tussled with Border Patrol agents before he was shot dead last Saturday.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
John Ruwitch, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
Vanderbilt, who verbally tussled with Redick on Tuesday after playing just five minutes and receiving an early hook in the second quarter, played a team-high 25 minutes off the bench, contributing six rebounds and five assists.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026
The officer then shoved Phillips, who tussled with the officer and took him to the ground.
—David Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr. 2026
In downtown Hartford, Luari has tussled several times in court over unpaid rent with Lexington Partners, a part owner and manager of 5 Constitution Plaza where The Place 2 Be operates.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Ready for a chopped, tussled look?
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026
The race could revive a pandemic-era rivalry between Kiley and Pan, who tussled over vaccine and public health rules while serving in the state Legislature.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Isaiah Stewart left the bench to confront Bridges, who responded with a punch, and the players tussled.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Pretti, who had disrupted law enforcement on at least one other occasion before his death, tussled with Border Patrol agents before he was shot dead last Saturday.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussled
Verb
-
Having wrestled the title momentum away from Arsenal this week, City are the obvious answer here, but there are reasons for optimism in north London.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Lawmakers in Connecticut have wrestled with how exactly to regulate the issue, particularly in the wake of reports that grocery stores in the state were using facial recognition technology to track shopper activity.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Three years ago, the city considered closing the pool as a cost-saving measure but residents fought its closure.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The Republicans fought it, and it’s died.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tussled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussled. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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