wrangle 1 of 2

wrangle

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun wrangle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wrangle are altercation, quarrel, and squabble. While all these words mean "a noisy dispute usually marked by anger," wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.

wrangle interminably about small issues

When could altercation be used to replace wrangle?

The synonyms altercation and wrangle are sometimes interchangeable, but altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.

a loud public altercation

When can quarrel be used instead of wrangle?

The words quarrel and wrangle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.

a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

When would squabble be a good substitute for wrangle?

Although the words squabble and wrangle have much in common, squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.

a brief squabble over what to do next

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wrangle
Noun
While the former is filled with hope, the latter is more spiritual and wrangles with the unknown. Derek Scancarelli, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 On camera, Gibson could fight fist-to-fist with male villains and wrangle out of any bind. Hannah Fish, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
Barefoot man wrangles large alligator on Florida highway. FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025 Tellingly, Trump, who has been wrangling with Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum and being rebuffed by Canada’s Carney, did not include the neighbor nations on his chart of countries today. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wrangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrangle
Noun
  • Those CBAs also require that should there be a dispute as to whether the league, a club, a union, or a player abided by their obligations under the CBA, such dispute be settled through a confidential arbitration process.
    Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • Lee-Gardner became involved in the dispute and is accused of hitting the homeowner in her head with a pistol.
    Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • In the film, Lawrence and her co-star Robert Pattinson proved worthy adversaries, who bicker and screw their way into emotional oblivion in Ramsay’s tense portrait of a woman undone.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 May 2025
  • Protesters shouted from the back of the room and lawmakers bickered.
    Eric Lipton, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • The defense attorney suggested that Cassie’s rape allegation stemmed from a complicated quarrel playing out as their decade-plus relationship came to an end.
    Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 16 May 2025
  • Other great powers will have their territorial goals and quarrels and this does not normally concern you.
    Frank Lavin, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
Verb
  • In a recent interview with The Bee, Weber criticized new efforts — including from members of her own party — to speed up California’s vote count, arguing elections officials already prioritize security and voter access.
    Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2025
  • The moderates advocated for an increase to the SALT cap, currently set at $10,000, but argued that the $30,000 cap outlined in the package remained too low.
    Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Even when cases of public console hacking have led to protracted legal fights—such as George Hotz's saga with the PS3 or Team Xecuter's Switch jailbreaks—console makers don't seem to have used technical means to completely disable offline functions for specific consoles.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2025
  • The awards ceremony reception was being held outdoors when the fight between two adults led to the stabbing, a Fort Worth ISD spokesperson said in a statement.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • The first is that when U.S. soldiers returned from the war there, protesters spat upon them in disdain.
    Jonathan Zimmerman, Foreign Affairs, 19 May 2016
  • The flare comes after nearly a week of flares and coronal plasma ejections spat toward the planet that threatened disruptions to power and communications systems on Earth.
    Greg Wehner, Fox News, 15 May 2024
Noun
  • Jaques said officers at 7:49 a.m. on Sunday received a complaint from a woman who reported that someone was following her vehicle while waving a gun following an altercation at a local gas station.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 May 2025
  • Initial data provided by the department suggest that practicing the martial art not only helps boost officers' physical and mental health, but also enables cops to use less force during an arrest or altercation.
    Katja Ridderbusch, NPR, 26 May 2025
Noun
  • However, disagreements on how she would be featured ended without a cover and with the friendship irrevocably broken.
    Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 19 May 2025
  • Some of my issues with it boil down to disagreements with Naughty Dog’s choices.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wrangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrangle. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on wrangle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!