as in wrestling
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
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Recent Examples of tussling
This could open up space for another Chelsea player to attack, but an arm in the air from the corner taker is usually a sign for Cucurella to trot back into the box, tussling with his defender and making a nuisance of himself on the way back.
—
Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
The unaccompanied minor change was made at least partially in response to a viral video that showed a group of teens tussling near a row of carnival games.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 5 Aug. 2025
Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
The unaccompanied minor change was made at least partially in response to a viral video that showed a group of teens tussling near a row of carnival games.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussling
Verb
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Jesse and Jasper spend a lot of time snuggling, while Blaze loves playing and wrestling with his older brother.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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Born and raised in Nova Scotia as Wade Douglas Bowles, Rocky Johnson started wrestling in 1964 in and around Toronto.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The approximate number of Americans who died fighting the Nazis in World War II.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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Proctor also investigated the Walshe case and other criminal cases in Norfolk County and those defense attorneys are fighting to get information from Proctor’s phone backup archives that could exonerate their clients.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussling. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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