wrestle

[res-uhl]

verb (used without object)

wrestled, wrestling 

1. to engage in wrestling.

2. to contend, as in a struggle for mastery; grapple.

   to wrestle with one's conscience.

verb (used with object)

wrestled, wrestling 

1. to contend with in wrestling.

2. to force by or as if by wrestling.

3. to throw (a calf or other animal) for branding.

noun

1. an act of or a bout at wrestling.

2. a struggle.

wrestle

/ ˈrɛsəl /

verb

1. to fight (another person) by holding, throwing, etc, without punching with the closed fist

2. (intr) to participate in wrestling

3. to fight with (a person, problem, or thing)

   wrestle with one's conscience

4. (tr) to move laboriously, as with wrestling movements

5. (tr) to throw (an animal) for branding

noun

1. the act of wrestling

2. a struggle or tussle

Other Word Forms

• wrestler noun
• outwrestle verb (used with object)
• unwrestled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wrestle¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wrestle¹

Old English wræstlian; related to Middle Dutch wrastelen (Dutch worstelen ), Old Norse rost current, race

Example Sentences

Jeamie wrestled first - joking his name would have been 'Big Papa T Jr' - but moved to boxing, the more lucrative path.

Read more on BBC

He faced down health challenges and wrestled with the future.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As media executives wrestle with the use of artificial intelligence, radio giant iHeartMedia wants to stand out.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The downside: Instant solutions reduce the incentive to wrestle with underlying concepts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The series, inspired by the autobiography of trans writer, journalist and campaigner Paris Lees, follows a teenager from a working-class town near Nottingham as they wrestle with their gender identity.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• contend 
• grapple 
• scuffle 
• strive 
• tangle 
• tussle