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Synonyms

tussle

American  
[tuhs-uhl] / ˈtʌs əl /

verb (used without object)

tussled, tussling

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

noun

  1. a rough physical contest or struggle; scuffle.

  2. any vigorous or determined struggle, conflict, etc..

    I had quite a tussle with that chemistry exam.
tussle British  
/ ˈtʌsəl /

verb

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

"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

noun

  1. a vigorous fight; scuffle; struggle

"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

Etymology

Origin of tussle

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

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.

The tussle could hobble Anthropic’s business with the government.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Plenty in the various camps think it could be a very tight three-way tussle between Labour, Reform and the Green Party.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

I was bored to tears watching Mayweather-Pacquiao a decade ago, but I won’t be able to resist when they tussle blandly in September.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

They went with serve and the seventh game was another tussle, Sabalenka holding for 4-3 after the best rally of a cagey affair.

From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026

This most recent tussle was a disaster for Francis, and he showed his uneasiness when he came down to the lab.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

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.