wrestle

1 of 2

verb

wres·​tle ˈre-səl  ˈra- 

wrestled; wrestling ˈre-sliŋ 

ˈra-;

ˈre-sᵊl-iŋ,

ˈra-

intransitive verb

1

: to contend by grappling with and striving to trip or throw an opponent down or off balance

2

: to combat an opposing tendency or force

wrestling with his conscience

3

: to engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate

4

: to engage in or as if in a violent or determined struggle

wrestling with cumbersome luggage

transitive verb

1

a

: to engage in (a match, bout, or fall) in wrestling

b

: to wrestle with

wrestle an alligator

2

: to move, maneuver, or force with difficulty

wrestler

ˈre-slər 

ˈra-;

ˈre-sᵊl-ər

ˈra-

noun

wrestle

2 of 2

noun

: the action or an instance of wrestling : struggle

especially : a wrestling bout

Synonyms

Verb

• grapple
• rassle
• scuffle
• tussle

Examples of wrestle in a Sentence

Verb

They'll be wrestling each other for the championship.

They'll be wrestling with each other for the championship.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Food deserts, redlining, a lack of green space and chronic underinvestment in BIPOC communities all play a part in making our Black and Brown neighbors more likely to wrestle with serious chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. —Jeremy Cooney, New York Daily News, 20 Dec. 2024

This gift will keep on giving when parents feel the relief of no longer having to try to wrestle young kids out of their puffy coats for car seat safety. —Robin Raven, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

This training was so essential to Boston Scientific that the company wrestled with whether to cancel a September class at the Health Science Center after learning about its use of unclaimed bodies. —Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2024

Courts will have to continue wrestling with the value of privacy in the era of reality television and documentaries. —Ryan Murphy, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English wrastlen, wrestlen, from Old English wrǣstlian, frequentative of wrǣstan

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1593, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing wrestle

• Indian-wrestle

Kids Definition

wrestle

1 of 2 verb

wres·​tle ˈres-əl 

wrestled; wrestling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to struggle with and try to throw down an opponent

2

: to compete against in wrestling

3

: to struggle for control (as of something difficult)

wrestler

ˈres-lər 

noun

wrestle

2 of 2 noun

: the action or an instance of wrestling