tussle
verb (used without object)
to struggle or fight roughly or vigorously; wrestle; scuffle.
had tussled
-
past perfectof tussle.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
On Friday night, reports emerged that Elon Musk’s aides had tussled with Office of Personnel Management and Treasury staffers while demanding access to troves of information about federal employees.
From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2025
For months, Mr. Lemoine had tussled with Google managers, executives and human resources over his surprising claim that the company’s Language Model for Dialogue Applications, or LaMDA, had consciousness and a soul.
From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2022
Wojcicki hired Hibbs, who began gathering evidence to respond to the FDA's concerns — a formidable task, because the FDA and the company had tussled over many issues over the years.
From Nature ● Oct. 10, 2017
Tracey had tussled with Robin before over her choices.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 21, 2016
A robot stood outside, a gleaming replica of the one he had tussled with earlier in the day.
From Starman's Quest by Stan Mack
