tussle


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Wikipedia.

tus·sle

(tŭs′əl)
intr.v. tus·sled, tus·sling, tus·sles
To struggle roughly; scuffle.
n.
A rough or vigorous struggle; a scuffle.

[From English dialectal (north of England) and Scots, variant of tousle.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tussle

(ˈtʌsəl)
vb
(intr) to fight or wrestle in a vigorous way; struggle
n
a vigorous fight; scuffle; struggle
[C15: related to Old High German zūsen; see tousle]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tus•sle

(ˈtʌs əl)

v. -sled, -sling,
n. v.i.
1. to struggle or fight roughly or vigorously; scuffle.
n.
2. a rough physical contest or struggle; scuffle.
3. any vigorous or determined struggle, conflict, etc.
[1425–75; late Middle English (north and Scots) tusillen, variant of touselen to tousle]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

tussle


Past participle: tussled
Gerund: tussling

Imperative
tussle
tussle
Present
I tussle
you tussle
he/she/it tussles
we tussle
you tussle
they tussle
Preterite
I tussled
you tussled
he/she/it tussled
we tussled
you tussled
they tussled
Present Continuous
I am tussling
you are tussling
he/she/it is tussling
we are tussling
you are tussling
they are tussling
Present Perfect
I have tussled
you have tussled
he/she/it has tussled
we have tussled
you have tussled
they have tussled
Past Continuous
I was tussling
you were tussling
he/she/it was tussling
we were tussling
you were tussling
they were tussling
Past Perfect
I had tussled
you had tussled
he/she/it had tussled
we had tussled
you had tussled
they had tussled
Future
I will tussle
you will tussle
he/she/it will tussle
we will tussle
you will tussle
they will tussle
Future Perfect
I will have tussled
you will have tussled
he/she/it will have tussled
we will have tussled
you will have tussled
they will have tussled
Future Continuous
I will be tussling
you will be tussling
he/she/it will be tussling
we will be tussling
you will be tussling
they will be tussling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been tussling
you have been tussling
he/she/it has been tussling
we have been tussling
you have been tussling
they have been tussling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been tussling
you will have been tussling
he/she/it will have been tussling
we will have been tussling
you will have been tussling
they will have been tussling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been tussling
you had been tussling
he/she/it had been tussling
we had been tussling
you had been tussling
they had been tussling
Conditional
I would tussle
you would tussle
he/she/it would tussle
we would tussle
you would tussle
they would tussle
Past Conditional
I would have tussled
you would have tussled
he/she/it would have tussled
we would have tussled
you would have tussled
they would have tussled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.tussle - disorderly fightingtussle - disorderly fighting      
fighting, combat, fight, scrap - the act of fighting; any contest or struggle; "a fight broke out at the hockey game"; "there was fighting in the streets"; "the unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap"
Verb1.tussle - fight or struggle in a confused way at close quarterstussle - fight or struggle in a confused way at close quarters; "the drunken men started to scuffle"
fight, struggle, contend - be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight; "the tribesmen fought each other"; "Siblings are always fighting"; "Militant groups are contending for control of the country"
2.tussle - make messy or untidytussle - make messy or untidy; "the child mussed up my hair"
disarrange - destroy the arrangement or order of; "My son disarranged the papers on my desk"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

tussle

verb
1. fight, battle, struggle, scrap (informal), contend, wrestle, vie, brawl, grapple, scuffle They ended up tussling with the security staff.
2. argue, row (Brit. informal), clash, dispute, disagree, quarrel, squabble, wrangle Officials tussled over who had responsibility for it.
noun
1. fight, scrap (informal), brawl, scuffle, battle, competition, struggle, conflict, contest, set-to (informal), bout, contention, fray, punch-up (Brit. informal), fracas, shindig (informal), scrimmage, shindy (informal), bagarre (French) The referee booked him for a tussle with the goalie.
2. argument, row (Brit. informal), clash, disagreement, contention, quarrel, squabble, war of words, contretemps a legal tussle over who gets custody of the children
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

tussle

verb
To contend with an opponent at close quarters, as by attempting to throw him or her:
Idiom: go to the mat with.
noun
A physical conflict involving two or more:
Slang: rumble.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

tussle

[ˈtʌsl]
A. N (= struggle) → lucha f (for por) (= scuffle) → pelea f, agarrada f
to have a tussle withpelearse con
B. VIpelearse (with, about, over con por) they tussled with the policese pelearon con la policía
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tussle

[ˈtʌsəl]
n (= scuffle) → bagarre f
vi (= scuffle) → se battre
to tussle with sb → se battre avec qn
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tussle

n (lit, fig)Gerangel nt
visich rangeln (with sb for sth mit jdm um etw)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tussle

[ˈtʌsl]
1. nbaruffa, mischia
to have a tussle with → fare baruffa con
2. vi to tussle (with sb for sth)far baruffa (con qn per qc)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
For a few minutes there was a tussle. The bottle struck the floor and broke, and I desisted and rose.
For three years he had cast all comers to the earth in wrestling until the famous Eric o' Lincoln broke a rib for him in a mighty tussle. Howsoever, at quarter-staff he had never yet met his match; so that there was never a squire in Nottinghamshire dare bid bold Arthur stand.
The shore road was "woodsy and wild and lonesome." On the right hand, scrub firs, their spirits quite unbroken by long years of tussle with the gulf winds, grew thickly.
Now this song which he made (both words and music) in the hour of our victory, is something less than just to me, who stood beside him in the tussle. Mr.
I hardly know which is myself and which the butcher, we are always in such a tangle and tussle, knocking about upon the trodden grass.
"Gad!" said the captain--"It is Byring!"--adding, with a glance at the other, "They had a tough tussle."
So held, John had waited with a womanly patience till the little hand relaxed its hold, and while waiting had fallen asleep, more tired by that tussle with his son than with his whole day's work.
There was a big French bark, the TOULON, becalmed off the atoll, which the islanders boarded after a sharp tussle and wrecked in the Lipau Passage, the captain and a handful of sailors escaping in the longboat.
"This aneurism of mine makes me easily tired, and the tussle we had half an hour ago has not mended matters.
And here the ex-preacher entered the field, and there was a lively tussle. "Comrade" Lucas was not what is called an educated man; he knew only the Bible, but it was the Bible interpreted by real experience.
Here comes another Giant to have a tussle with you."
We had a short tussle without moving from the spot, and suddenly I had my head free, and there was complete silence.