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
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Recent Examples of tussles
Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 31 Oct. 2025
What ensues is an internal war to match the grander struggle, as each man tussles with his own worst nature in light of what the angel can offer.
—Neil McRobert, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Lonergan has been in his fair share of tussles for minutes between the sticks and thinks, in a lot of cases, goalkeepers should be treated like outfield players, where in-form backups retain their starts.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
Paired with zucchini spears and pine nuts, your tongue tussles with pillowy soft textures and crunch.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 31 Oct. 2025
What ensues is an internal war to match the grander struggle, as each man tussles with his own worst nature in light of what the angel can offer.
—Neil McRobert, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Lonergan has been in his fair share of tussles for minutes between the sticks and thinks, in a lot of cases, goalkeepers should be treated like outfield players, where in-form backups retain their starts.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
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 Examples of Synonyms for tussles
Noun
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David Wolf, the executive director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Scottsbluff, said experts estimate that as many 10 people died for every mile of the trail ‒ perhaps as many as 20,000 travelers, plus an unknown number of Native Americans killed during skirmishes.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
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Amid the skirmishes that ensued, federal agents fired a chemical agent toward a protester at near-point-blank range, and security personnel later opened fire on a U-Haul truck that had backed up toward a barrier on the island’s bridge, injuring the driver and an apparent bystander.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Rotunda is the real-life father of late pro wrestler Bray Wyatt and his brother, who wrestles as Bo Dallas.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
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In London Fog, Kaszas wrestles with anxiety, explores the many modern paths to parenthood, and reflects on growing up with a single immigrant mother — all while trying not to let success change him.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Since Assad’s ousting, Syria has seen flare-ups of deadly sectarian violence, with clashes erupting between security forces and those loyal to the former president, including in Syria’s coastal Latakia region in March.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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As for South Sudan, a senior United Nations official said earlier this week that the ongoing conflict in Sudan is causing destabilization in South Sudan, including armed clashes and food insecurity.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The festival’s Critics’ Award went to Love Me Tender, which sees Vicky Krieps play a lawyer who fights her ex-husband for custody of their son after starting a new relationship.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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Eating cruciferous vegetables supports the body’s detoxification process, fights against inflammation and cell damage.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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At the same time, food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
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River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe honors the history of the January 1813 battles of the War of 1812 and their aftermath.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussles. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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