tousle

IPA/ˈtaʊzl/
IPA/ˈtaʊzl/

tousle — verb

  • touslepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • tousleshe / she / it
  • tousledpast simple
  • tousling-ing form

1. to disturb someone's hair so it looks messy, loose, or windblown.

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to disturb someone's hair so it looks messy, loose, or windblown.

Example

Tariq tousled his little brother's hair before the family photo.

tousle someone's hair

The sea breeze tousled Mira's hair as she waited on the pier.

wind or breeze tousles hair

Common collocations
  • tousle someone's hair
  • tousled hair
  • wind-tousled hair
  • a tousled fringe
Synonyms
  • ruffle

    close in meaning; often a quick hand movement through hair, feathers, or fabric

  • rumple

    broader; can describe clothes, bedding, or hair losing a smooth shape

  • dishevel

    more formal; often describes someone whose hair or clothing looks messy

Antonyms
  • smooth

    make hair lie flat or neat

  • comb

    make hair neat with a comb

Grammar Patterns

tousle someone's hair

hair is tousled by [wind/person]

Usage Note

Tousle is mainly used about hair. It can describe a person's playful touch or the effect of wind, sleep, or movement.

Common Mistakes

Do not use tousle for making a whole room untidy. Say 'mess up the room' or 'make the room untidy' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Tousle is most natural when hair becomes attractively or casually messy. Ruffle is very close, but it can also describe feathers, fabric, or a quick affectionate movement through someone's hair. Rumple is broader and often points to clothes, sheets, or any smooth surface being pushed out of shape. Dishevel is more formal and usually describes the finished messy appearance rather than the action that caused it. A parent may tousle a child's hair, wind may ruffle hair, and a long trip may leave a person looking disheveled.

rufflerumpledishevel

Common collocations

Nouns

  • tousled hair
  • tousled curls
  • tousled fringe

Adverbs

  • gently tousled
  • playfully tousled
  • badly tousled

Phrases

  • run a hand through and tousle someone's hair
  • leave hair tousled

Prepositions

  • tousled by the wind
  • tousled after sleep

Etymology

English

Tousle is an English verb related to older words for pulling or handling roughly. Its modern use is mainly about hair that has been disturbed into a messy shape.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined above Noun