as in clash
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
a small tussle on the basketball court was quickly broken up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to wrestle
to seize and attempt to unbalance one another for the purpose of achieving physical mastery
puppies tussling with one another, rolling over and over on the carpet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tussle
Jared Gans, The Hill, 19 June 2025
This is not to downplay singer SZA’s ability to draw a crowd, as the tour’s co-headliner also has a massive fan base, many of whom don’t give AF about Dot and Drizzy’s 2024 tussle either way.
—Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 18 June 2025
Kim Velsey, Curbed, 24 June 2025
The incident occurred on the stroke of full time at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte as Rudiger and Cabral had tussled in the Pachuca penalty area, and the Madrid defender went to ground holding his face.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Noun
Another tussle took place when Padilla interrupted a press conference Noem was holding last week to ask why President Trump deployed the National Guard to address protests in Los Angeles.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 19 June 2025
This is not to downplay singer SZA’s ability to draw a crowd, as the tour’s co-headliner also has a massive fan base, many of whom don’t give AF about Dot and Drizzy’s 2024 tussle either way.
—Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 18 June 2025
Verb
After months of tussling over private-listings networks, the battle between Compass, the brokerage that has championed exclusive, in-house listings, and Zillow, the largest listings network in the country, has turned into all-out war.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 24 June 2025
The incident occurred on the stroke of full time at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte as Rudiger and Cabral had tussled in the Pachuca penalty area, and the Madrid defender went to ground holding his face.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussle
Noun
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Navarro and Griffin have long had tension on the air, including past eye-rolling and clashes.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
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The Thai Health Ministry said 15 civilians and one soldier had been killed and 46 civilians and 15 soldiers wounded in the clashes since Thursday.—
Shane Croucher
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Grid managers, utility companies and regulators, meanwhile, are wrestling with how to meet the growing demand while keeping the power supply affordable and reliable.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
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The protestor eventually held onto the bridge railing while officers wrestled him to the ground.—
Jolene Almendarez,
The Enquirer,
18 July 2025
Noun
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The skirmish left the mother of Jones' child with a black eye.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
18 July 2025
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The skirmish has thrust into the public eye a falling-out between two political heavyweights once seen as close allies.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
16 July 2025
Verb
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Experts say the relatively simple way to survive this current is to float, stay as calm as possible and don’t fight it.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
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The tribe also has fought to preserve shrinking numbers of the c'waam and koptu, two fish species central to the three tribal cultures that form the tribe.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
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The injuries that eventually cut the third baseman’s career short began to take hold right before Forde lost a years-long battle with breast cancer.—
Abbey Mastracco,
Hartford Courant,
19 July 2025
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Coming weeks after Lexington and Concord, the battle marked the British effort to control the hills surrounding Boston’s harbor.—
Brian T. Allen,
National Review,
19 July 2025
Noun
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More struggles result in prosperity Another fight would also call for Jones' leadership in action.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
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As the citizens of the state struggle to seize power back from an autocratic government, the story centers on Jamil, a war zone courier/smuggler, and Zora, a young leader in the Mulholland Resistance, who attempt to escape Occupied Los Angeles, a city under martial law.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussle. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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