tussle

1 of 2

noun

tus·​sle ˈtə-səl 

1

: a physical contest or struggle : scuffle

2

: an intense argument, controversy, or struggle

tussle

2 of 2

verb

tussled; tussling ˈtə-s(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to struggle roughly : scuffle

Synonyms

Noun

• battle
• clash
• combat
• conflict
• contest
• dustup
• fight
• fracas
• fray
• hassle
• scrap
• scrimmage
• scrum
• scuffle
• skirmish
• struggle

Verb

• grapple
• rassle
• scuffle
• wrestle

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

Noun

On Sunday, the three-time world champion was hit with two separate 10-second penalties for his latest tussle with Lando Norris, his closest title challenger. —Dan Cancian, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

She had been taken there from her cherished lakefront home in the Irish Hills after a lengthy tussle with chronic lung problems. —Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Oct. 2024

Verb

The two briefly tussled, but soon made up and the other driver drove away. —Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024

Fans and police officers got in between the tussling parties and kept White from returning any blows. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English (Scots) tussillen, frequentative of Middle English -tusen, -tousen to tousle — more at touse

First Known Use

Noun

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1638, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tussle

1 of 2 verb

tus·​sle ˈtəs-əl 

tussled; tussling

ˈtəs-(ə-)liŋ

: scuffle sense 1

tussle

2 of 2 noun

1

: a physical contest or struggle

2

: a rough argument or a struggle against difficult odds