tussled

past tense of tussle
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tussled But the Americans tussled right back, and never totally lost their cool. Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026 The two Democrats have frequently tussled for moral high ground over their connections to industries that voters might see as unsavory. Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026 The Buffs and Rams have tussled 34 times in the last 43 years, with CU winning 26 of the matchups. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 June 2026 Over the past month, the administration has tussled with Anthropic and OpenAI over releasing their latest models to the public. Jared Perlo, NBC news, 29 June 2026 As had happened when the Patent Office and the State Department had briefly tussled over control of the Declaration back in the 1870s, the question of custody was a thorny one. Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 Kevin Keegan and Arsene Wenger tussled with Sir Alex Ferguson, and in the years that followed, Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez battled in the league and in Europe. Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 25 May 2026 Bowser tussled with Trump for much of 2025 over deploying the National Guard and briefly taking over the city's police department while cooperating with the White House on other matters such as clearing homeless encampments. Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 17 June 2026 Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who tussled with Dolan over his decision to cancel MSG's outdoor watch party Wednesday night, kept his focus on the game and the excitement of the Knicks' historic come-from-behind victory on Thursday. Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussled
Verb
  • Tempers flared late in the fourth quarter when Kings center Dylan Cardwell and Nets guard Egor Demin wrestled for a loose ball.
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026
  • The shooting may have been worse if not for the actions of a Muslim immigrant from Syria who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers.
    John Blake, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Verb
  • The future king of Britain descends from American patriots who fought against the crown he is destined to inherit, according to a new book tracing Prince William's family tree.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • Both exist in spite of the odds, symbols of perseverance and community — memorials to those who fought to establish a new country and a new state, and who happened to do it in a place that proved particularly untamable.
    Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tussled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussled. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on tussled

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster