1
: a physical contest or struggle : scuffle
2
: an intense argument, controversy, or struggle
Synonyms
Examples of tussle in a Sentence
Noun
The suspect was arrested after a tussle with a security guard.
a tussle for control of the company
The President is in for another tussle with Congress.
Verb
Two players tussled for the ball.
The residents of the neighborhood tussled with city hall for years about the broken parking meters.
Recent Examples on the Web
Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2024
Tsui’s period crowd-pleaser spawned five subsequent films and a TV series that also boasted inventive set pieces and dizzyingly complex choreography, but Li’s warehouse tussle against Iron Vest Yim (Yen Shi-kwan) in the first installment stands out.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 16 June 2024
At least for a bit, as the tech giant tussled with Microsoft and Nvidia for the No. 1 spot in market value, one that’s nearing the $3.3 trillion mark for all three.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tussle 
Noun
Blackburnian warblers, with throat feathers the color of flames, lock their feet and beaks together in a tussle.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2024
Tsui’s period crowd-pleaser spawned five subsequent films and a TV series that also boasted inventive set pieces and dizzyingly complex choreography, but Li’s warehouse tussle against Iron Vest Yim (Yen Shi-kwan) in the first installment stands out.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
The figure tussled with the men, quickly ripping off the suit and unveiling a man decked out in a camouflage outfit.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 16 June 2024
At least for a bit, as the tech giant tussled with Microsoft and Nvidia for the No. 1 spot in market value, one that’s nearing the $3.3 trillion mark for all three.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tussle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tussle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tussle. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tussle
2 of 2 noun1
: a physical contest or struggle
2
: a rough argument or a struggle against difficult odds
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