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
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
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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In March, hundreds of people were killed during a crackdown on the Alawite sect – to which Assad belonged – in the western city of Latakia, and in April, clashes broke out between pro-government armed forces and Druze militias.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
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At times, the boundaries between art and artist blurred, with Herzog and his creative partner Klaus Kinski taking their dangerous onscreen missions into violent offscreen clashes with each other, as captured in the 1999 documentary, My Best Friend.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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The long-running lawsuit from Serna’s family, first filed in 2020, is just one example of how the county needlessly fights and prolongs litigation, said civil rights lawyer Danielle Pena, who has sued the county over other jail deaths.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Where many of Krishna’s battles end in death for the aggressor, this story is remarkable for its mercy—Krishna spares Kaliya after the snake’s wives and children emerge from the pond to plead on his behalf.—
Seamus Sullivan
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
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Sheen described being at the center of seven family interventions, countless affairs, legal battles and messy divorces.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussles. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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