as in wrestled
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
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Recent Examples of tussled
In downtown Hartford, Luari has tussled several times in court over unpaid rent with Lexington Partners, a part owner and manager of 5 Constitution Plaza where The Place 2 Be operates.
—
Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Ready for a chopped, tussled look?
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026
The race could revive a pandemic-era rivalry between Kiley and Pan, who tussled over vaccine and public health rules while serving in the state Legislature.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Like Breton, Ahmed has also tussled with X owner Musk, who campaigned for and donated to Trump in 2024 and spent several months last year working as a special government employee and overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency effort.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 9 Mar. 2026
Isaiah Stewart left the bench to confront Bridges, who responded with a punch, and the players tussled.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Pretti, who had disrupted law enforcement on at least one other occasion before his death, tussled with Border Patrol agents before he was shot dead last Saturday.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Two hummingbirds tussled in low branches.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Candidates for Cook County Board president also tussled in an endorsement session with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board yesterday.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Ready for a chopped, tussled look?
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026
The race could revive a pandemic-era rivalry between Kiley and Pan, who tussled over vaccine and public health rules while serving in the state Legislature.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Like Breton, Ahmed has also tussled with X owner Musk, who campaigned for and donated to Trump in 2024 and spent several months last year working as a special government employee and overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency effort.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 9 Mar. 2026
Isaiah Stewart left the bench to confront Bridges, who responded with a punch, and the players tussled.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Pretti, who had disrupted law enforcement on at least one other occasion before his death, tussled with Border Patrol agents before he was shot dead last Saturday.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Two hummingbirds tussled in low branches.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Candidates for Cook County Board president also tussled in an endorsement session with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board yesterday.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussled
Verb
-
Still, the Justices wrestled with Sauer’s interpretation of the case.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Like many websites, Wikipedia has wrestled with how to handle the paradigm shift in generative AI for online text content.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But the property owners fought that previous injunction ruling to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, which heard the case this past week.—
WJAR Staff,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The men fought briefly on the ground before other men assisted the officer.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tussled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussled. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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