as in skirmishes
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 wrestles
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
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Recent Examples of tussles
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Nick, who is the character closest to Jenkin’s own personality, tussles with a dilemma.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent earnings call tussles indicate that Target is far from that position.
—Noah Barsky, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
Burnt out and fed up with her untameable class of 10-year-olds, Maria tussles with an increasingly naughty student, Danny (played wonderfully by young newcomer Eddie Waller), and makes a rash decision to keep him captive in her basement.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Nick, who is the character closest to Jenkin’s own personality, tussles with a dilemma.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent earnings call tussles indicate that Target is far from that position.
—Noah Barsky, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussles
Noun
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Delhi sees Beijing as its biggest threat, particularly since some border skirmishes that began in 2020.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
17 Sep. 2025
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Still one of the NFL’s nastiest division rivalries, the game was full of skirmishes and a near-costly unnecessary roughness penalty late in the third against the Eagles that put the Cowboys in position to take the lead.—
Dan Gelston,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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D'Vontaye Mitchell's widow still wrestles with grief In her letter, Harmon said all four men need to be held accountable in Mitchell's death and that she is still traumatized by memory of receiving the call informing her that her husband was gone.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Treutelaar, who also wrestles and plays lacrosse, attended football camps at Georgia, Illinois, Kansas State, Northwestern and Ohio State this summer and plans to follow in the footsteps of his father, Justin, a former Purdue long snapper.—
Bobby Narang,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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At least 22 police officers were injured during the clashes, a spokesperson for Spain’s National Police told CNN.—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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Shots fired in San Bernardino, spike strips in Van Nuys, and clashes in Santa Ana highlight a rise in confrontations between immigration agents and civilians — a trend experts warn is intensifying across Southern California.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As always, secrets emerge, fights ensue, and Madea makes a speech to bring everyone back together.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
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As the immune system fights the infection, the tissues in the urinary tract become inflamed.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The musical battles in K-Popped did require them to compete against each other.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Years of lobbying and court battles by the LGBTQ community have achieved a few successes over the past decade.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussles. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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