wrangle

[ rang-guhl ]
See synonyms for: wranglewrangling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),wran·gled, wran·gling.
  1. to argue or dispute, especially in a noisy or angry manner.

verb (used with object),wran·gled, wran·gling.
  1. to argue or dispute.

  2. to tend or round up (cattle, horses, or other livestock).

  1. to obtain, often by contrivance or scheming; wangle: He wrangled a job through a friend.

noun
  1. a noisy or angry dispute; altercation.

Origin of wrangle

1
1350–1400; Middle English, apparently <Low German wrangeln, frequentative of wrangen to struggle, make an uproar; akin to wring

Other words for wrangle

Other words from wrangle

  • outwrangle, verb (used with object), out·wran·gled, out·wran·gling.
  • un·wran·gling, adjective

Words that may be confused with wrangle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wrangle in a sentence

  • They wrangled together for a few minutes, and then Nib was handed over.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • We wrangled about the seating accommodation of the hut, for the cart-tail was but short, and I wanted her to have it to herself.

    The Yeoman Adventurer | George W. Gough
  • Folsom himself, in such calm as he could command, stood silent while his captors wrangled.

    Warrior Gap | Charles King
  • This was the estimate upon which the British, French and American delegations wrangled pleasantly for weeks.

  • Thereupon the two zealots wrangled and jangled till Aronson's ears ached.

    The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

British Dictionary definitions for wrangle

wrangle

/ (ˈræŋɡəl) /


verb
  1. (intr) to argue, esp noisily or angrily

  2. (tr) to encourage, persuade, or obtain by argument

  1. (tr) Western US and Canadian to herd (cattle or horses)

noun
  1. a noisy or angry argument

Origin of wrangle

1
C14: from Low German wrangeln; related to Norwegian vrangla

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012