tussle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
tussles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tussled,
past participle, past
-
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
-
tusslesimple
-
tusslessimple
-
have tussledperfect
-
has tussledperfect
-
am tusslingprogressive
-
are tusslingprogressive
-
is tusslingprogressive
-
have been tusslingperfect progressive
-
has been tusslingperfect progressive
Past
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Hoot
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf: A New Telling
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Having been subjected to multiple FCC probes of ABC’s programming, the corporation has pushed back in court against Carr, in what has already amounted to a drawn-out and expensive legal tussle.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Firms now regularly pay first-year associates salaries of $250,000, up from $190,000 in 2018, in the tussle for the best talent straight out of law school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Instead, Badenoch grounded this speech in the big picture tussle to be trusted between Labour and the Conservatives – and in particular who was better placed to deliver a growing economy.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The announcement kicked off a chaotic tussle over the funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The babies, sensing Stephen could be trusted, began to tussle and romp.
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
Bradley Tusk, a venture capitalist and campaign manager for Bloomberg’s third-term mayoral run, said he admired Mastro’s moxie, even though the lawyer had several legal tussles with his former boss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 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
High on the to-do list will be ensuring the economy is ready for another round of tussles with the U.S., as signaled by the emphasis Chinese leaders have placed on reducing reliance on foreign technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
The front pages are already featuring flashes of unhappiness, like the tussles between the Treasury and Angela Rayner, who'll be with us in the studio tomorrow, alongside Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
From BBC ● May 24, 2025
Campion and Chervil were kept busy taking out endurance patrols, and tussles and training fights were organized at morning silflay.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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
In 2017, it tussled about management succession with activist investor Christopher Hohn’s TCI Fund Management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
After stopping at the amenities table for fresh water, towels and doggie sunscreen, Dug tussled with another golden retriever, Bubbles, who was wearing a Goyard collar from Paris.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
Between 1924 and 1927 Sir Malcolm and his friend and rival, Wrexham engineer John Godfrey Parry Thomas tussled for top spot.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 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
Four victories in as many games has City sitting joint-top of the Premier League alongside Arsenal, and the early signs suggest those two sides will be the ones tussling for the title once more.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
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
His latest ad debuts during Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl,” a pregame show that features two teams of adoptable dogs tussling over toys in a model football stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026
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
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
