tussling

present participle of tussle
as in wrestling
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

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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 tussling 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 Two people with divergent intuitions about what’s normal, or endurable, can end up tussling over the same territory. Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 15 July 2026 There’s nothing like it—the sun shining, a warm breeze tussling your hair, waves rushing onto the shore, and breathing in the fresh, salty air. Susan B. Barnes, Southern Living, 14 July 2026 The sheriff's office released body camera footage showing a 30-second clip of Rivas tussling with the alligator. Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 9 June 2026 Two boys tussling over a bladder in a three-foot-high canvas painted by Joseph Wright of Derby in the late 1760s snarl up in a whirlpool of pain, each twisting the other’s right ear. Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 But filings ahead of the hearing in the 3rd Business Court Division shed more light on the dispute that has co-owners Grant Shaw and Alessandro Bosco — and Shaw’s former father in law Tom Sansone — tussling over control of the business and its debt. Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026 So that tussle is still tussling. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026 The pair were caught tussling several times before Palmerston retired in 2020. Jill Lawless, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tussling
Verb
  • Based on its trailer, Wild Horse Nine, which premieres in competition on September 3, seems to find McDonagh back in his sweet spot, helming a pitch-black comedy about two charismatic men wrestling with their dark pasts.
    Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In the trailer for the show, the cast gets physical (literally), wrestling over clothes in a challenge.
    Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • As a result, the Fed’s attention is now fixed on fighting inflation, instead of the other part of its dual mandate, namely supporting the labor market.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • For France, long accustomed to wildfires along arid stretches of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, the devastation in Le Porge has yielded rare consensus that its fire safety system is not up to fighting mega-fires brought on by climate change.
    Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tussling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tussling. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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