wrestle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
wrestles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wrestled,
past participle, past
-
wrestling
present participle
-
to engage in wrestling.
-
to contend, as in a struggle for mastery; grapple.
to wrestle with one's conscience.
verb (used with object)
-
wrestles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wrestled,
past participle, past
-
wrestling
present participle
-
to contend with in wrestling.
-
to force by or as if by wrestling.
-
to throw (a calf or other animal) for branding.
noun
-
wrestles
plural
-
an act of or a bout at wrestling.
-
a struggle.
verb
-
to fight (another person) by holding, throwing, etc, without punching with the closed fist
-
(intr) to participate in wrestling
-
to fight with (a person, problem, or thing)
wrestle with one's conscience
-
(tr) to move laboriously, as with wrestling movements
-
(tr) to throw (an animal) for branding
noun
-
the act of wrestling
-
a struggle or tussle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wrestlesimple
-
wrestlessimple
-
have wrestledperfect
-
has wrestledperfect
-
am wrestlingprogressive
-
are wrestlingprogressive
-
is wrestlingprogressive
-
have been wrestlingperfect progressive
-
has been wrestlingperfect progressive
Past
-
wrestledsimple
-
had wrestledperfect
-
was wrestlingprogressive
-
were wrestlingprogressive
-
had been wrestlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wrestle
before 1100; Middle English wrestlen, wrastlen (v.), Old English *wrǣstlian (compare Old English wrǣstlere wrestler), frequentative of wrǣstan to wrest; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German worstelen
Explanation
If you decide to wrestle on a team in high school, you'll be grabbing your opponent and trying to fling him to the ground while he tries to do the same to you. You might want to consider the ping pong team instead. Athletes wrestle wearing uniforms and helmets, and they follow very specific rules. Others wrestle more spontaneously — a bar bouncer might have to wrestle with an unruly patron, or a parent might need to wrestle a squirming toddler into her car seat. Yet another way to wrestle is with an idea or a problem, a kind of mental struggle. The Old English root, wræstan, means "to wrest," or to yank something out of another person's grasp.
Vocabulary lists containing wrestle
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Thirst
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
All you can do is wrestle back to the light.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Even as consumers wrestle with higher costs of living, a report from Circana in February found that store-brand momentum had stretched “beyond inflationary periods,” after price increases eased briefly last year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
They’re the responsible adults now, watching Gen Z characters that wrestle with generation-specific problems in ways that look confusing from the outside.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
The Tour continues to wrestle with the heat of the European summer, which cooked some early stages and reignited discussions over whether races should start earlier in the morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“I’d wrestle with him,” she said, nodding at Major.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Julia wrestles with her conscience the entire time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The aspect that he says he wrestles with is how much higher rates would harm the economy.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
The performances are good; the plot, postcard-sized: Adam returns to Eternia, unleashes his alter-identity He-Man and wrestles with the pressure to live up to his new biceps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
While the government wrestles with provision for children, many families continue to struggle.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
When he wrestles it open, a blast of snow hits us.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
He’d wrestled for the Indians in addition to his playing football.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Yet of the 20 missed VAR interventions last season, a quarter were penalties not awarded when a player had been wrestled to the ground off the ball.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Firefighters wrestled "numerous flare-ups" under control overnight, working in very difficult conditions as powerful winds buffeted the eastern region bordering Germany -- with a "mini-tornado" even striking a town outside the park.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
For decades, physicists have wrestled with one of the deepest puzzles in modern science: the "black hole information paradox."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
He grabbed Bobby Gene midsprawl and wrestled him upright.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
Dive into a true-crime longread: As a teenager, Winston Walters became a rising reality-TV star for wrestling giant catfish.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
While wrestling with his response to the Roebucks, Walters confided in Collins, his half brother.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Not big myself, but zero body fat, standout on the wrestling team.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Memphis pro wrestling legend “Superstar” Bill Dundee, whose career spanned more than five decades and included iconic feuds and tag-team runs with Jerry “The King” Lawler, has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
“The Disaster March,” he says, wrestling the apron over his head.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
