1
: a physical contest or struggle : scuffle
2
: an intense argument, controversy, or struggle
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
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Columbia’s former interim president, Katrina Armstrong, resigned Friday amid a tussle with the Trump administration over federal funding and its response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 30 Mar. 2025
Lauren Peller, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025
Bianca Belair was the third competitor to enter the match and tussled with Morgan from there.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tussle
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Noun
Here’s more of our news coverage and opinion pieces on the tariff tussle:
Trump’s tariffs reshaped manufacturing in Asia.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Columbia’s former interim president, Katrina Armstrong, resigned Friday amid a tussle with the Trump administration over federal funding and its response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 30 Mar. 2025
Verb
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tussled with reporters Friday, pushing back against the notion that the Democratic Party is fractured as some Senate Democrats, including their leader, were on the cusp of joining Republicans to avert a government shutdown.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025
Bianca Belair was the third competitor to enter the match and tussled with Morgan from there.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tussle
Cite this Entry
“Tussle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tussle. Accessed 22 Apr. 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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