tussle
Americanverb (used without object)
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
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.
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
There was plenty of their traditional hard edge in a tussle of a game, but also moments of 24-carat sparkle.
From BBC
The hearing started out with a verbal tussle between the committee chair, Republican Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Mullin.
From BBC
Firstly, there is a tussle over the facts - in other words, precisely what was discussed in the calls between the two men in the last few weeks: what was requested and what was offered.
From BBC
He lost his seat in the Commons after an extraordinary legal tussle – a very rarely convened election court ruled he had lied about his Liberal Democrat opponent.
From BBC
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.
