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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of tussle
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
The tussle on the Milwaukee-to-Dallas-Fort Worth flight is the latest example of apparent air passenger misbehavior – a problem that’s worsened for airlines since before the pandemic, with at least 1,854 incidents reported this year to the Federal Aviation Administration.
—Graham Hurley, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 1 July 2024
Well, not actually tussling in a War of the Roses way; more an amiable tug-of-war on the village green before bonding over a few local ales.
—Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tussle 
Noun
Eventually, Benji dunks Tom’s head into the cake, which is very much warranted, and the two get into a tussle the only way brothers can: very poorly!
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
The tussle on the Milwaukee-to-Dallas-Fort Worth flight is the latest example of apparent air passenger misbehavior – a problem that’s worsened for airlines since before the pandemic, with at least 1,854 incidents reported this year to the Federal Aviation Administration.
—Graham Hurley, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
But, as groups tussled for a slice of the pie, local tensions flared, writes historian Eiichiro Azuma.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 1 July 2024
Well, not actually tussling in a War of the Roses way; more an amiable tug-of-war on the village green before bonding over a few local ales.
—Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tussle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussle
Noun
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At times, Zayn vs. McIntyre looked like it would be set for a major pay-per-view, perhaps at an event like SummerSlam, and though that never materialized, Saturday Night’s Main Event was the perfect stage for their clash.Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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The Cricket Celebration Bowl is here, bringing a heavyweight clash between two red-hot teams.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Food deserts, redlining, a lack of green space and chronic underinvestment in BIPOC communities all play a part in making our Black and Brown neighbors more likely to wrestle with serious chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes.Jeremy Cooney, New York Daily News, 20 Dec. 2024
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This gift will keep on giving when parents feel the relief of no longer having to try to wrestle young kids out of their puffy coats for car seat safety.Robin Raven, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Editors’ Picks The teenager who drove them there lost his car key during the skirmish.Shayla Colon, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2024
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The accusations were just the latest skirmish in a war of words between the struggling retailer’s current management and its largest shareholder that dragged on for months.Robert Olsen, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Parking Lot Altercation This sketch follows Short and Mikey Day using hand signals to fight over a parking space.Rosa Escandon, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
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The other part of it too is, while House Republicans were fighting over this spending bill, guess what Senate Democrats were doing?CBS News, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Therefore, in a sense, the battle to finish second is almost the most interesting thing — and these days, that’s usually Real Madrid.Michael Cox, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
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Detroit has lost its cavalry commander from the Last Great Newspaper War, the all-out mid-1980s battle for circulation in the last market outside New York where two newspapers still sold more than 650,000 copies a day.Tim Kiska, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
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One of the officers was shocked during the struggle, too.Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024
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Understanding this connection helps parents approach these challenges with empathy, recognizing that stress may amplify these struggles.Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near tussle
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussle. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
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