I. tus ‧ sle 1 /ˈtʌs ə l/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . a fight using a lot of energy, in which two people get hold of each other and struggle SYN struggle :
After quite a tussle, I finally wrenched the letter from him.
2 . a struggle or argument in which people try to beat each other to get something SYN contest :
his defeat in the leadership tussle
II. tussle 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: touse 'to pull roughly' (14-19 centuries) ]
1 . to fight or struggle without using any weapons, by pulling or pushing someone rather than hitting them
tussle with
He was tussling with the other boys.
2 . to try to beat someone in order to get something SYN wrestle
tussle for
They tussled for first place in the race.