Synonyms of tussled

tussled

verb

past tense of tussle

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wrestled
• fought
• grappled
• scuffled
• battled
• brawled
• contended
• rassled
• dueled
• punched
• combated
• sparred
• buffeted
• skirmished
• battered
• slugged
• hit
• struck
• bashed
• clashed (with)
• boxed
• warred (against)
• beat

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tussled

After Lewandowski tussled with Inter Miami defender Ian Fray, De Paul approached Lewandowski aggressively and proceeded to recite the latest accomplishments on his résumé. — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

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

Another fight broke out at a Chicago baseball game, as fans tussled during the eighth inning of the series finale between the New York Mets and the White Sox at Rate Field on Sunday. — Evgenia Anastasakos, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026

The Jabaras tussled over which customs to preserve, and which to compromise on. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Christian and Emmett, now 9 and 11, were home for summer break while her beloved white-and-tan corgis tussled nearby. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 30 July 2026

Over the past month, the administration has tussled with Anthropic and OpenAI over releasing their latest models to the public. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 29 June 2026

But the Americans tussled right back, and never totally lost their cool. — Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026

Bowser tussled with Trump for much of 2025 over deploying the National Guard and briefly taking over the city's police department while cooperating with the White House on other matters such as clearing homeless encampments. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 17 June 2026