tussle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
tussles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tussled,
past participle, past
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tussling
present participle
noun
-
a rough physical contest or struggle; scuffle.
-
any vigorous or determined struggle, conflict, etc..
I had quite a tussle with that chemistry exam.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tusslesimple
-
tusslessimple
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have tussledperfect
-
has tussledperfect
-
am tusslingprogressive
-
are tusslingprogressive
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is tusslingprogressive
-
have been tusslingperfect progressive
-
has been tusslingperfect progressive
Past
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tussledsimple
-
had tussledperfect
-
was tusslingprogressive
-
were tusslingprogressive
-
had been tusslingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tussle
1425–75; late Middle English (north and Scots ) tusillen, derivative ( see -le) of tusen to touse
Explanation
A tussle is a rowdy fight. If the rambunctious kids you're babysitting get into a tussle, you may have to separate them for a while and calm them down. Though a tussle is often a physical fight, it's rarely a serious one. Two wrestling dogs, a couple of scuffling teenagers — these are examples of tussles. The word tussle is Scottish, a variant of touselen, which is related to tousle, or "dishevel or muss," which you might do to a little kid's hair. The root of both is the Old English tousen, "handle or push about roughly."
Vocabulary lists containing tussle
Freak the Mighty
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Hoot
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The cash payment looks set to cap an extraordinary Wall Street tussle that saw a company single out one of its own shareholders over its trading activity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
The other piece of this is that for a while, there was this tussle between lower courts and the Supreme Court.
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2026
That became the center of a legal tussle after the city sued for its restoration and some panels have been restored, pending a court decision.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
One of the many undercurrents of Wednesday’s debate was the ongoing tussle between Becerra and Villaraigosa.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
In the tussle that followed, something fell out of Other Ashley’s bag—insulin and needles.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Direct control of the Bronx building, a Success Academy first, means no political tussles over repairs or storage space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Before Robby and Al-Hashimi engage in any real ideological tussles, though, she commits the cardinal sin of suggesting they change the trauma center’s nickname to something else.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026
That period was defined by the Van Gerwen's titanic, torch-passing tussles with Phil Taylor, a rivalry that super-charged darts' rise and saw him claim three world titles.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2025
Long, gliding tracking shots with sophisticated camera and character blocking give way to hectic handheld movements as Terry scraps and tussles with his foes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2024
When I was young these tussles usually ended with Mother screaming over a broken lamp or vase, but as I got older there were fewer things left to break.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Zwane tussled with Roberto Alvarado, with the Mexican going to ground holding his head.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
In 2025, the US president went as far as visiting the Fed's under-renovation headquarters, where he verbally tussled with Powell as the two toured the site.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
Cuomo and Mamdani tussled when they were asked how they would stop the growing number of New York City school students who are homeless.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
She also tussled with Bass behind closed doors in late January, as revealed in text messages obtained by The Times that highlighted an increasingly fractious relationship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
He was sniffed and tussled with and rolled over in the grass until he felt almost as though he were being attacked.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
To wrap the Pont Neuf, he spent $2.5 million of his own money and some 10 years tussling with bureaucrats and politicians before securing the approval of President Francois Mitterrand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
His attentiveness will be closely watched in the Maduro case, as tussling between the defense and prosecution has already threatened to draw out proceedings.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
Chip makers and cloud-computing purveyors have described the demand for their offerings as effectively limitless, with heads of the AI model companies bemoaning capacity constraints and tussling over chip allotments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
With 19 games played, Nottingham Forest lie second and are tussling with the Reds, similar to when they locked horns for silverware in the late 1970s and during the 80s.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2024
All was quiet, but as they paused at the top of the bank, a tussling pack of six or seven sparrows flew down to the line and began to peck about between the sleepers.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
