as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
his grandfather would always tousle the boy's neatly combed hair
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of tousle
The waves weren't precise or uniform in shape, but rather looked as though they'd been styled with a three-barrel iron, then roughed up and tousled for an undone finish.
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Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024
For that morning’s scene, her light-auburn hair had been artfully curled and tousled by her longtime hairdresser, Frédéric Souquet.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2023
Both the royal and the presidential couples appeared to struggle with a strong wind, which tousled Macron’s hair and forced Camilla to hold on tightly to her pink, beret-style hat.
—Sylvie Corbet, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2023
Follow-up videos then showed the mom-of-four posing with her hair tousled to one side and pouting her lips with a hand held up to her face.
—Jill Lupupa, Peoplemag, 28 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for tousle 
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024
For that morning’s scene, her light-auburn hair had been artfully curled and tousled by her longtime hairdresser, Frédéric Souquet.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2023
Both the royal and the presidential couples appeared to struggle with a strong wind, which tousled Macron’s hair and forced Camilla to hold on tightly to her pink, beret-style hat.
—Sylvie Corbet, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2023
Follow-up videos then showed the mom-of-four posing with her hair tousled to one side and pouting her lips with a hand held up to her face.
—Jill Lupupa, Peoplemag, 28 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for tousle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousle
Verb
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Harris supporters called Trump a threat to democracy for his refusal to concede his 2020 loss to Biden, unfounded election fraud claims and his supporters’ Capitol riot to disrupt Biden’s presidential certification.Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
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Trump's false claims of victory came to a head on January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters rioted inside the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the formal confirmation of Biden as the winner of the 2020 election.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Once the road trip ends, Bronny will be shuffling between the G-League and the main Lakers roster.David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
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These relationships shuffle among the large, contentious staff — Mexican, white, Italian, black, Muslim, Albanian, and Dominican, a panoply of types whose individuality keeps the action lively, timely, yet unpredictable.Armond White, National Review, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The photos, not graphic but disturbing all the same, were allegedly taken at the scene of the Delphi murders — the double homicide of two best friends, Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, in rural Delphi, Indiana, in 2017.Aja Romano, Vox, 11 Nov. 2024
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The skit started with the actors seeming disturbed.Dennis Romero, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The team wants Alex Mill to be more of a household name brand without getting too big to manage properly, or so expansive as to confuse the customer with many fashion messages.David Moin, WWD, 18 Nov. 2024
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San Francisco sued Oakland for infringing its airport’s trademarks in April, arguing the Oakland airport’s similar new name would confuse travelers.Reuters, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near tousle
Cite this Entry
“Tousle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousle. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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