tussle

1 of 2

noun

tus·​sle ˈtə-səl How to pronounce tussle (audio)
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 How to pronounce tussle (audio)

intransitive verb

: to struggle roughly : scuffle

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
It was settled a week after Catherine Wu, an adviser at the center of the boardroom tussle resigned after the feud between the elder Kwek and his son became public, resigned. Jonathan Burgos, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025 Previously, scientists theorized that free-floating planetary mass objects are simply rogue planets, ejected from their home star systems through interactions with passing stars or gravitational tussles with their own sibling planets. Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
According to Deadline, Johnson, DiCaprio and Emily Blunt are in discussions for the project based on a real-life crime boss who tussled with mainland companies and rival gangs to exert control over the Hawaiian islands. Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025 Bell quickly protested, jumping from her seat to redirect the conversation, as Danson and Harper continued with the steamy moment, seemingly tussling in the background as Bell covered from the camera view what exactly was going on. Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tussle

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of tussle was in 1629

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tussle. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

tussle

1 of 2 verb
tus·​sle ˈtəs-əl How to pronounce tussle (audio)
tussled; tussling
ˈtəs-(ə-)liŋ

tussle

2 of 2 noun
1
: a physical contest or struggle
2
: a rough argument or a struggle against difficult odds

More from Merriam-Webster on tussle

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