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
Reuters, 5 Nov. 2024
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
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Fiennes and Berger tussled briefly over Cardinal Lawrence’s costume after Fiennes met with the British cardinal.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tussle 
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Noun
The race will decide the outcome of the championship with the tussle between Prima Pramac Racing's Spaniard Jorge Martin and Ducati's Italian twice champion Francesco Bagnaia going down to the wire after Bagnaia won the Malaysia Grand Prix on Sunday.
—Reuters, 5 Nov. 2024
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
Verb
Indeed, Americans have been tussling over the time warp for well over a century now.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Fiennes and Berger tussled briefly over Cardinal Lawrence’s costume after Fiennes met with the British cardinal.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tussle
Dictionary Entries Near tussle
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tussle. Accessed 24 Nov. 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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