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
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
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
Analysts say Altman and Musk tussled over who would lead the company, and Musk lost.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
What really happens in heated moments One feisty moment caught on ref cam during that same Chelsea-West Ham game was when Traore tussled with Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Vanderbilt, who verbally tussled with Redick on Tuesday after playing just five minutes and receiving an early hook in the second quarter, played a team-high 25 minutes off the bench, contributing six rebounds and five assists.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026
The officer then shoved Phillips, who tussled with the officer and took him to the ground.
—David Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
Analysts say Altman and Musk tussled over who would lead the company, and Musk lost.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
What really happens in heated moments One feisty moment caught on ref cam during that same Chelsea-West Ham game was when Traore tussled with Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Vanderbilt, who verbally tussled with Redick on Tuesday after playing just five minutes and receiving an early hook in the second quarter, played a team-high 25 minutes off the bench, contributing six rebounds and five assists.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026
The officer then shoved Phillips, who tussled with the officer and took him to the ground.
—David Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussled
Verb
-
The renowned Federalist Papers of the late 1780s, 85 essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, wrestled with this exact debate.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
-
Ibrahim Sangare handled the ball from the second phase in a 3-1 opening-weekend defeat at Nottingham Forest, while Nathan Collins was wrestled to the floor by Reinildo in their 2-1 loss to Sunderland two weeks later.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Marner fought through the contact, hit the brakes, deked the puck around Dostál with a nifty move between his legs and potted the goal to give Vegas an early 1-0 lead.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
That is what has sparked the debate within the audiovisual sector that has fought hard for its own identity, its own budget.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tussled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussled. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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