as in clash
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
a small tussle on the basketball court was quickly broken up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to wrestle
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tussle
Larry Neumeister, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
To be fair, Payton should’ve won the first tussle in front of the Red Sea.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2025
The carmaker has previously tussled with California workplace safety regulators over conditions at the Fremont plant.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Noun
This is the second Justice Department tussle in five years between Washington and New York to result in a dramatic leadership turnover.
—Larry Neumeister, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
To be fair, Payton should’ve won the first tussle in front of the Red Sea.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
Matthew Tkachuk fought Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff, his brother Brady tussled with Sam Bennett and J.T. Miller fought Colton Parayko.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2025
The carmaker has previously tussled with California workplace safety regulators over conditions at the Fremont plant.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussle
Noun
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The order’s provision to outlaw post-Election Day ballot tabulation sets up a clash between Trump and California. County officials are given nearly a month to process ballots and millions of ballots in the state are counted in the days and weeks after an election.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Dudek was promoted when his predecessor resigned, in mid-February, following clashes with DOGE staffers who were attempting to access information about Social Security recipients.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This declaration of wrestling royalty hits many fans strongly.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
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Paulie eventually wrestles control of it, but not before Reacher can plug the barrel with a bullet.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The clashes are a sign of growing tensions at the Lebanon-Syria border, northeast of the Beqaa valley, where predominantly Shiite Lebanese villages have seen skirmishes with Syrian soldiers in recent weeks.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
-
After his skirmish with Diarra, Neal waved his arms to fire up Creighton fans in the sellout crowd.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
In 2017, the administration fought hard and communicated clearly.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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While there is no vaccine to prevent the common cold nor a specific medicine to cure it, there are ways to manage your symptoms while your body fights the illness.—
Lauren Schlanger,
Verywell Health,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Michael Mann, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage Pay Tribute to Actor By the time the sequel was filmed and finally came out — there were COVID delays as Tom Cruise (rightly) insisted on a theatrical release — Kilmer was quite deep into his battle with throat cancer.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The past year hasn’t always been easy for the family, starting with Kentucky’s loss in the first round last March and continuing through the move to Arkansas and the Razorbacks’ struggles early in the season.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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The New York Times bestseller tells the coming-of-age story of two sisters in France on the eve of World War II and their struggles to survive the German occupation of their country.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussle. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
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