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

The incident occurred late in Monday’s game in Abu Dhabi when the Portuguese striker found himself in a tussle with Al-Hilal’s Ali Al-Bulayhi during second-half stoppage time. —George Ramsay, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024

Despite limited tussles with officers, Wednesday's protests were largely peaceful. —Isabel Debre, Quartz, 3 Apr. 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