1
: a physical contest or struggle : scuffle
2
: an intense argument, controversy, or struggle
Synonyms
Examples of tussle in a Sentence
Noun
The suspect was arrested after a tussle with a security guard.
a tussle for control of the company
The President is in for another tussle with Congress.
Verb
Two players tussled for the ball.
The residents of the neighborhood tussled with city hall for years about the broken parking meters.
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas Adamson and Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
In a surprise move, China — long criticized for its human rights record — signed the declaration, further widening the distance between America and the rest in the tussle for AI supremacy.
—Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Marvel Studios hasn’t announced when — or if — Hercules could return to the MCU, but according to Loki, this wasn’t the first time Hercules had tussled with Odin’s family.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tussle 
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Noun
In a surprise move, China — long criticized for its human rights record — signed the declaration, further widening the distance between America and the rest of the nations in the tussle for AI supremacy.
—Thomas Adamson and Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
In a surprise move, China — long criticized for its human rights record — signed the declaration, further widening the distance between America and the rest in the tussle for AI supremacy.
—Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
Verb
Sonic 3 post-credits scenes explained: Meet the new characters
These two tussling for the crown is a surprising regime change from the recent box office; the dominant story for weeks has been the battle between Universal's Wicked and Disney's Moana II.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Marvel Studios hasn’t announced when — or if — Hercules could return to the MCU, but according to Loki, this wasn’t the first time Hercules had tussled with Odin’s family.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tussle
Dictionary Entries Near tussle
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tussle. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tussle
2 of 2 noun1
: a physical contest or struggle
2
: a rough argument or a struggle against difficult odds
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