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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Recent Examples of tousle
To round out all the looks, model Precious Lee wore her hair tousled into an updo, with just a touch of lip gloss to end the week.
—
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 2 Feb. 2024
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.
—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
See All Example Sentences for tousle
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 2 Feb. 2024
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.
—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
See All Example Sentences for tousle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousle
Verb
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The right-wing House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday issued a threat to try to censure any Democratic lawmakers or guests who disrupt President Trump's speech to Congress.—
Andrew Solender,
Axios,
5 Mar. 2025
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Every year, earthquakes claim victims and cost billions in direct economic loss, damaging or destroying homes, tearing down infrastructure, rendering production sites inoperable, and disrupting transport lines.—
David Bressan,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Sharks shuffled their lines before the start of the third period.—
Curtis Pashelka,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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At the glitzy afterparty, stars shuffled through a packed room.—
Jay Stahl,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Stay on marked trails, pack all your trash, and respect wildlife (do not feed or disturb them).—
Emese Maczko,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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In his State of the State speech Wednesday, Pritzker argued the current moment has disturbing parallels to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany.—
Alex Thompson,
Axios,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Not to be confused with New Zealand musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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Along those lines, a settlement should not be confused with a collective bargaining agreement, which pro teams and unionized employees extinguish or mollify a broader range of potential claims.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tousle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousle. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
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