wrangle

American  

[rang-guhl] / ˈræŋ gəl /

verb (used without object)

wrangled, wrangling

1. to argue or dispute, especially in a noisy or angry manner.

   Synonyms:

   brawl, quarrel

---

verb (used with object)

wrangled, wrangling

1. to argue or dispute.

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

3. to obtain, often by contrivance or scheming; wangle.

   He wrangled a job through a friend.

noun

1. a noisy or angry dispute; altercation.

   Synonyms:

   argument, brawl, quarrel

wrangle British  

/ ˈræŋɡəl /

verb

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

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

3. (tr) to herd (cattle or horses)

---

noun

1. a noisy or angry argument

Other Word Forms

• outwrangle verb (used with object)
• unwrangling adjective

Etymology

Origin of wrangle

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

Example Sentences

It’s a tall order, and when June has a fall that sends her back into the hospital — and soon after, hospice — Julia must wrangle her dysfunctional family and rally them all to face the inevitable.

From Salon

Atop the aerial ladder of a bright red fire engine, a firefighter wrangles a hose.

From Los Angeles Times

As a young father, Craig moved his family to the Northern Territories of Australia, where he wrangled “scrub bulls and buffalo” that had escaped from herds and needed to be sent to market.

From The Wall Street Journal

Much of the show is staged—it had to be—though Manhattan traffic cannot be wrangled.

From The Wall Street Journal

The two TV giants wrangled for weeks over how much Google must pay to carry Disney’s channels, including FX, Disney Jr. and National Geographic.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• altercation
• bickering
• brawl
• brouhaha
• disagreement
• falling-out
• flap
• fracas
• hassle
• quarrel
• ruckus
• squabble
• tiff