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
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
Like Breton, Ahmed has also tussled with X owner Musk, who campaigned for and donated to Trump in 2024 and spent several months last year working as a special government employee and overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency effort.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 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
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
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
Like Breton, Ahmed has also tussled with X owner Musk, who campaigned for and donated to Trump in 2024 and spent several months last year working as a special government employee and overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency effort.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussled
Verb
-
But the hosts wrestled back control, scoring six unanswered goals and improving their record in home openers to 18-8-5 going back to 1996.—
Julian Cardillo,
Boston Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
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Zoox, which is owned by Amazon, has been slower to launch than competitors, and has wrestled with regulatory hurdles and safety reviews, but remains a clear innovator and frontrunner in the race to get self-driving vehicles on the roads.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, there have been cases where poker clubs fought to stay open and won.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
-
That marquee status would seem to be a virtual guarantee for his second-round match later today against Alcaraz—Fonseca gamely fought through his first-round match against Hungary’s Fábián Marozsán yesterday in three sets, setting up this early-round gut-check.—
Nick Remsen,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tussled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussled. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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