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
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
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
-
Still one of the NFL’s nastiest division rivalries, the game was full of skirmishes and a near-costly unnecessary roughness penalty late in the third against the Eagles that put the Cowboys in position to take the lead.—
Dan Gelston,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ideological skirmishes over the motives and obligations of Carpenter’s music include both sincere interrogation of its feminism and smirking counteractive reprisals to that scrutiny.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
3 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
-
Thailand has been in political turmoil since, ever since deadly border clashes with Cambodian forces.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, his mercurial style and public controversies, from social media firestorms to clashes with regulators, have brought volatility to Tesla’s stock and reputation.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Under a new deal with CBS and Paramount+, UFC fights will be available for all subscribers.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Days later, then-Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley announced a campaign challenging the former governor as the GOP fights to keep the Senate seat red.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As a smart two-way player who can win board battles and create offense off the rush, Celebrini’s game translated extremely favorably to the pro ranks.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Launched in 2003, this sci-fi MMORPG has played host to epic spaceship battles and intergalactic heists on a scale that most other multiplayer games can only dream of.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussles. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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