tussle

noun
UK: /ˈtʌsəl/
US: /ˈtʌsəl/

  1. A short fight or struggle.

    1. The kids had a little tussle over the toy car.
    2. After a brief tussle, police managed to arrest the suspect in the crowd.

Synonyms

fight struggle scuffle wrestle contend grapple
tussle intransitive-verb

  1. To fight or struggle with someone by grabbing or wrestling.

    1. The dogs tussle in the yard every morning.
    2. The two candidates continue to tussle over economic policy during the debate.

  2. To struggle to obtain or achieve something.

    1. I had to tussle with my boss to get a raise.
    2. She had to tussle with her conscience before making a decision about quitting.
tussle transitive-verb

  1. To cause someone to struggle physically.

    1. The wind tussled her hair on the windy beach.
    2. The thief tussled the old man before stealing his wallet in the street.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "tussle" is /ˈtʌsəl/ in British English and /ˈtʌsəl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "tussle": fight, struggle, scuffle, wrestle, contend, grapple.

Example usage of "tussle": "The kids had a little tussle over the toy car.". More examples on the page.