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
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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In the last year, the FBI has disrupted other potential attacks inspired by the militant group, including in October when agents arrested an Afghan man in Oklahoma accused of plotting an election day attack targeting large crowds.Eric Tucker, Jim Mustian, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025
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An elbow injury disrupted the career that Elaine Schmidt might have had as a high-level flutist.Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2025
Verb
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For more on Marvel Rivals, our in-depth guides cover the best Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist characters, which are due to get shuffled thanks to the arrival of the new heroes.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
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Injuries forced Howe to shuffle his pack, and hit doubly hard as midfielders/forwards had to fulfil secondary positions, such as Gordon to right-winger or Joelinton from No 8 to winger.Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The volcano’s light illuminates a double lenticular cloud, or a UFO-like cloud formation created when a mountain disturbs air flow and creates standing waves above it.Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025
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The restaurant’s owner requested that the police detain the tourist for intoxication and disturbing the public order; on Sunday, Cabo Rojo’s mayor said that the responding officer had been suspended while the case was being investigated.Graciela Mochkofsky, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Evans believes a lack of planning is largely to blame for our productivity failures, and warns people not to confuse being busy with being productive.Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
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Penn State’s receivers won’t be confused for an elite group, but tight end Tyler Warren is the top player in the country at that position, and the running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton is one of the nation’s best.Antonio Morales, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near tousle
Cite this Entry
“Tousle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousle. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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