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tousle

/ˈtaʊzəl/
/ˈtaʊzəl/
IPA guide

Other forms: tousled; tousling; tousles

To tousle is to mess up. The disadvantage of riding in a flashy red convertible is that the wind might tousle your careful hairdo.

This old verb with a solid English pedigree has earned the right to only a part-time job after its 600 years of service to the language. Though it means "to make untidy," it's a rare writer these days who applies it to anything but hair — and then usually only by way of the adjective tousled. The origin is Germanic, and tousle is closely related to both tussle and tease.

Definitions of tousle
  1. verb
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    “The strong wind tousled my hair”
    synonyms: dishevel, tangle
    see moresee less
    type of:
    disarrange
    destroy the arrangement or order of
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