TUSSLE Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

tussle 1 of 2

noun

ˈtə-səl

Definition of tussle

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truce

tussle

2 of 2

verb

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 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 tussle

Noun

And there was a whole lot of tussle among the top players in the women’s draw Sunday. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 The Coastal Commission signed off on the project a few years ago, after tussles over low-cost housing provisions during the course of erecting yet another luxury hotel. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Verb

Madden tussled with the co-op, at one point unsuccessfully trying to buy the fourth-floor apartment to make a duplex of her own. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026 He was seen dancing at San Diego Comic Con, getting arrested in Times Square, giving out free hugs on the Santa Monica Pier, and tussling with an AMC employee over a bag of popcorn. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tussle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussle

Noun

After spending some time playing in a (very cool) makeshift stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Northwestern Wildcats finally christened the new Ryan Field in an important Big Ten clash with Penn State.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
The Buffs and the Blue Raiders are undefeated in district play and will face off in a high-stakes Week 7 clash.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of clash

Verb

Why attendance is the number to watch Even in a traditional school year, districts across Texas have been wrestling with chronic absenteeism since COVID-19.

— Lina Ruiz October 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026
As Grammy season comes into full swing, one of the biggest questions the Recording Academy will need to wrestle with is how to handle the current surge in popularity for country music.

— Alan Light, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrestle

Noun

Ties between the two countries, which had deteriorated sharply following a deadly border skirmish in 2020, have been thawing for more than a year.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
The duo walks away from this skirmish, though not unscathed, as Samjad quickly and economically sets up a blistering saga of stylish reprisals with no holds barred.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of skirmish

Verb

Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
His emphasis on fighting crime, his anti-left agenda and his confrontations with the Supreme Federal Court and Brazil’s political establishment directly appeal to issues that have mobilized Bolsonaro’s base for years.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of fight

Noun

Chinese media reported that PLA forces deployed Type 99A main battle tanks alongside drones, uncrewed ground vehicles and helicopters.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Alabama and Mississippi State battle, and Underdog is offering new users a chance to use promo code FOXNEWS to earn up to $100 in bonus bets on a $5 wager.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of battle

Noun

Now, the sequence is more likely to end in shouted abuse and maybe a scuffle, the video shot on phones and streamed — sometimes live — on platforms like Kick or Facebook.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
At first, the scuffle only involved the original two women, but quickly chaos broke out as smaller fights broke out all over from around a dozen friends or spectators, the report read.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of scuffle

Noun

Both residents and politicians fear the court ruling would tarnish Kosovo's independence struggle.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Evidence at the crime scene led investigators to believe there had likely been a struggle between Feldman and her killer leading up her death, suggesting that Feldman had fought hard.

— Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggle

Browse Nearby Words

tushes

tussle

tussled

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussle. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tussle

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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