as in skirmishes
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
a small tussle on the basketball court was quickly broken up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wrestles
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tussles
Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
Uber, Bolt, and other entrants in the space will also have to be cautious on their pricing strategies to avoid regulatory action as was witnessed in their previous tussles over taxi-hailing services with government agencies such as Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Raven is ever attentive to the imaging of the West as a kind of battleground, where surveillance (and the camera’s inexorable links to the military apparatus) tussles with sentimentality in a centuries-long project from which the national psyche cannot seem to unlatch.
—Anne Reeve, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Burnt out and fed up with her untameable class of 10-year-olds, Maria tussles with an increasingly naughty student, Danny (played wonderfully by young newcomer Eddie Waller), and makes a rash decision to keep him captive in her basement.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Nick, who is the character closest to Jenkin’s own personality, tussles with a dilemma.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent earnings call tussles indicate that Target is far from that position.
—Noah Barsky, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
And how their play-tussles tended to end up.
—Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
Uber, Bolt, and other entrants in the space will also have to be cautious on their pricing strategies to avoid regulatory action as was witnessed in their previous tussles over taxi-hailing services with government agencies such as Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Raven is ever attentive to the imaging of the West as a kind of battleground, where surveillance (and the camera’s inexorable links to the military apparatus) tussles with sentimentality in a centuries-long project from which the national psyche cannot seem to unlatch.
—Anne Reeve, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Burnt out and fed up with her untameable class of 10-year-olds, Maria tussles with an increasingly naughty student, Danny (played wonderfully by young newcomer Eddie Waller), and makes a rash decision to keep him captive in her basement.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Nick, who is the character closest to Jenkin’s own personality, tussles with a dilemma.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent earnings call tussles indicate that Target is far from that position.
—Noah Barsky, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussles
Noun
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These issues are not unique to the WNBA, as its affiliate league, the NBA, has weathered refereeing controversies and skirmishes over player pay for years.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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All these years later, Corigliano’s symphony has outlasted those skirmishes and emerged sounding fresh and exciting and powerful.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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D'Vontaye Mitchell's widow still wrestles with grief In her letter, Harmon said all four men need to be held accountable in Mitchell's death and that she is still traumatized by memory of receiving the call informing her that her husband was gone.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Treutelaar, who also wrestles and plays lacrosse, attended football camps at Georgia, Illinois, Kansas State, Northwestern and Ohio State this summer and plans to follow in the footsteps of his father, Justin, a former Purdue long snapper.—
Bobby Narang,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Deadly clashes erupted along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, marking a new low in the countries’ ties since the Taliban retook power in 2021.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters — Dozens of fighters were killed in overnight border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both sides said on Sunday, in the most serious fighting between the neighbours since the Taliban came to power in Kabul.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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An international team of war correspondents fights to report the truth.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2025
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Hartnett is in Canada filming an untitled project for Netflix, which focuses on a fisherman who fights to protect his family and community when a sea creature begins to threaten his town.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some Virginia elections have turned into battles over which candidate will be toughest on data centers; others elections have already been lost over them.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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As things get predictably dark for the struggling couple – and for some unlucky flies that get to experience her rage first-hand – their battles are frequently hilarious.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussles. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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