tussle

[ tuhs-uhl ]

/ ˈtʌs əl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: tussle / tussles on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), tus·sled, tus·sling.

to struggle or fight roughly or vigorously; wrestle; scuffle.

noun

a rough physical contest or struggle; scuffle.

any vigorous or determined struggle, conflict, etc.: I had quite a tussle with that chemistry exam.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tussle

1425–75; late Middle English (north and Scots ) tusillen, derivative (see -le) of tusen to touse

Words nearby tussle

Tussi, tussiculation, tussie-mussie, tussis, tussive, tussle, tussock, tussock caterpillar, tussock grass, tussock moth, tussocky

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tussle in a sentence

His enrollment in the British Army in April 2006 certainly helped keep him out of the public eye for weeks at a time, but there was another tussle with photographers outside a nightclub in 2007.
Will Prince Harry’s Memoir Be Totally Honest About His ‘Wild Years’?|Tom Sykes|August 5, 2022|The Daily Beast
Either way, it is safe to say that Google’s near-to-medium-term future will be defined by tussles with governments across the world.
‘Inaccurate and inflammatory’: Google moves to have Texas AG-led antitrust case dismissed|Ronan Shields|January 24, 2022|Digiday
The power tussle ramped up as cases began sharply climbing in Kentucky in August with the rise of the delta variant.
Kentucky schools overwhelmingly keep mask mandates after Republicans scrapped state requirement|Fenit Nirappil|September 21, 2021|Washington Post
If you’re a multiple-cat household, consider toys that are best for two or more cats in order to avoid any tussles.
Best cat toys: Your favorite feline will give two paws up to these cat accessories|Irena Collaku|July 21, 2021|Popular-Science

Now there’s a device that does away with the toked-up tussle.
Some Feel-Good News About Marijuana’s Golden Age|Joshua Eferighe|April 20, 2021|Ozy
But first, there's a tussle with the senior senator from Arizona to take care of.
Rand Paul Eats Up Hoax That John McCain Met With ISIS|Olivia Nuzzi|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They would rustle and tussle it for like three minutes and that was it!
OITNB’s New Villain Vee, Played By Lorraine Toussaint, Speaks for the First Time|Kevin Fallon|June 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Without his high-school wrestling experience, she might have won the tussle.
The Moment Kurt Cobain Met Courtney Love|Charles R. Cross|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Behind the scenes the speech was the subject of an intense tussle.
How the Chuck Hagel Fight Changed the American Jewish Landscape in Washington|J. J. Goldberg|August 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Both Parks and Brechneff tussle with the idea of being almost insiders.
Insider Outsiders: How to Write About Greece and Italy|Alexander Aciman|July 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Streams which a boy could wade last March would now give an elephant a tussle.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
There was a terrible tussle, but the white man finally killed his huge enemy.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber
"I'm quite sure that I don't want another sich a tussle," meditated the Deacon.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6)|John McElroy
After the friendly tussle, the mother and daughter continued on their journey to the forks of the Shaeyela.
Red Hunters And the Animal People|Charles A. Eastman
However the reis pluckily led the way, and seized him by the hind leg, when the crowd of men rushed in, and we had a grand tussle.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin

British Dictionary definitions for tussle

tussle

/ (ˈtʌsəl) /

verb

(intr) to fight or wrestle in a vigorous way; struggle

noun

a vigorous fight; scuffle; struggle

Word Origin for tussle

C15: related to Old High German zūsen; see tousle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tussle

Origin of tussle

Words nearby tussle

Words related to tussle

How to use tussle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tussle

Word Origin for tussle