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 of tousle in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
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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Having studied the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 election, both were now eying plans to disrupt each of the procedural steps between Election Day and the Inauguration, such as the December 11th deadline for each state to ascertain a winner, and the December 17th meeting of each state’s electors.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 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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On May 25, President Trump issued a tweet: North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me.Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024
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Genre: Horror Any film whose primary objective is to spook, scare, or disturb its audience.Joe Reid, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
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While the technical side of blockchain may still confuse most people, the concept of digital currency is mainstream.Lisa Loud, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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But also tossed into the mix is electronic warfare, and its ability to confuse, throw off and shut down navigation systems on weapons flying across the battlefield each day.David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near tousle
Cite this Entry
“Tousle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousle. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
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