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
Stewart left the bench to confront Bridges, who responded with a punch, and the players tussled.
—
Steve Reed, Los Angeles Times, 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
Two hummingbirds tussled in low branches.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Candidates for Cook County Board president also tussled in an endorsement session with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board yesterday.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
In winter, the wind tussled clumps often resemble a wild hairdo, which is a welcome dose of garden whimsy.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Dec. 2025
As Green and the other man tussled, a man identified by police as Bryan Carter pulled out a gun, prompting a friend of Green to attempt to wrest away the weapon.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
The two students allegedly tussled on the ground and both had hands on the knife during the struggle — until the 18 year old gained control of the weapon and stabbed Graham through his sternum and into his heart, according to the outlet.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Instead, for days, migrants tussled with Mexican soldiers and auxiliary police officers, demanding to be let go, to enter the United States.
—Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Steve Reed, Los Angeles Times, 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
Two hummingbirds tussled in low branches.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Candidates for Cook County Board president also tussled in an endorsement session with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board yesterday.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
In winter, the wind tussled clumps often resemble a wild hairdo, which is a welcome dose of garden whimsy.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Dec. 2025
As Green and the other man tussled, a man identified by police as Bryan Carter pulled out a gun, prompting a friend of Green to attempt to wrest away the weapon.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
The two students allegedly tussled on the ground and both had hands on the knife during the struggle — until the 18 year old gained control of the weapon and stabbed Graham through his sternum and into his heart, according to the outlet.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Instead, for days, migrants tussled with Mexican soldiers and auxiliary police officers, demanding to be let go, to enter the United States.
—Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussled
Verb
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Freedom wrestled without two starters but still managed to score its first FHSAA duals wrestling state quarterfinal victory against Wellington on Friday.—
Steve Gorches,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Ottman wrestled elsewhere after his last WWF stint in 1994.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Last year, the budget process went into overtime as the two chambers fought over sales taxes and clashed with DeSantis.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
For the next three years, American forces—including approximately 10,000 American Indian soldiers—along with troops from 15 other nations, fought to prevent a Communist takeover.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tussled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussled. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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