Synonyms of tussled

tussled

verb

past tense of tussle

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wrestled
• fought
• grappled
• scuffled
• battled
• brawled
• contended
• rassled
• dueled
• punched
• combated
• sparred
• buffeted
• skirmished
• battered
• slugged
• hit
• struck
• bashed
• clashed (with)
• boxed
• warred (against)
• beat

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tussled

Christian and Emmett, now 9 and 11, were home for summer break while her beloved white-and-tan corgis tussled nearby. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 30 July 2026

Over the past month, the administration has tussled with Anthropic and OpenAI over releasing their latest models to the public. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 29 June 2026

But the Americans tussled right back, and never totally lost their cool. — Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026

Bowser tussled with Trump for much of 2025 over deploying the National Guard and briefly taking over the city's police department while cooperating with the White House on other matters such as clearing homeless encampments. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 17 June 2026

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who tussled with Dolan over his decision to cancel MSG's outdoor watch party Wednesday night, kept his focus on the game and the excitement of the Knicks' historic come-from-behind victory on Thursday. — Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 11 June 2026

The Buffs and Rams have tussled 34 times in the last 43 years, with CU winning 26 of the matchups. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 June 2026

The two Democrats have frequently tussled for moral high ground over their connections to industries that voters might see as unsavory. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026

Kevin Keegan and Arsene Wenger tussled with Sir Alex Ferguson, and in the years that followed, Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez battled in the league and in Europe. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 25 May 2026