tussle

[ tuhs-uh l ]

/ ˈtʌs əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tussle 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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of tussle

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tussle

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
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

In the film, we watch as Gollum gets in a tussle with his next meal, an unsuspecting goblin.
‘The Hobbit’: 19 Changes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Novel to Peter Jackson’s Movie|Anna Klassen|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was her way to face facts once for all, tussle with them, gain or lose, and be done with them.
Rest Harrow|Maurice Hewlett
It is a tussle for money with them as with us, meaning power.
The Celt and Saxon, Complete|George Meredith
Julia, who has her eye on Martha, and is quite enjoying this tussle of the two says nothing.
Possession|Laurence Housman
George still dark, all the tussle and the misery without a word from him.
A Room With A View|E. M. Forster
Suppose they had fallen out during his tussle with the bear!
The Long Patrol|H. A. Cody

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

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

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of tussle

Examples from the Web for tussle

British Dictionary definitions for tussle

tussle

verb

noun

Word Origin for tussle