wrestle

[ res-uhl ]

/ ˈrɛs əl /

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See synonyms for: wrestle / wrestling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), wres·tled, wres·tling.

to engage in wrestling.

to contend, as in a struggle for mastery; grapple: to wrestle with one's conscience.

verb (used with object), wres·tled, wres·tling.

to contend with in wrestling.

to force by or as if by wrestling.

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

noun

an act of or a bout at wrestling.

a struggle.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM wrestle

wrestler, nounoutwrestle, verb (used with object), out·wres·tled, out·wres·tling.un·wres·tled, adjective

Words nearby wrestle

wrench, Wren, Christopher, Wrens, wren-tit, wrest, wrestle, wrestling, wrest pin, wretch, wretched, Wrexham

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wrestle in a sentence

She squinted, blinked sporadically, and tilted her head, as if straining to wrestle answers from her brain.
Jeopardy! Champion Julia Collins’s Brain Feels Like Mush|Sujay Kumar|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Regardless of how one wrestles with Noam Chomsky, one does always wrestle, leaving the bout much smarter and stronger.
Noam Chomsky—Infuriating and Necessary|David Masciotra|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We do have to wrestle with the fact that the army already has them on the ground,” she said.
Iran Warns Obama to Stay Out of Iraq|Eli Lake|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A recently released app invites users to wrestle with the text of a modern classic.
The ‘Slow Web’ Movement Will Save Our Brains|Joshua Rivera|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Erudite is trying to wrestle control of the government away from Abnegation via nefarious schemes.
Exclusive: Shailene Woodley On ‘Divergent,’ J. Law, and Why She Turned Down ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’|Marlow Stern|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The children never wrestle or pull each other about, either in sport or earnest.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
The Widow crept noiselessly out of the room, and left her to wrestle with her grief as she could.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 101, March, 1866|Various
I had the right to expect from her the mild interest attached to those who wrestle with their misfortune.
Balsamo, The Magician|Alexander Dumas
A most trying thing it was to a man who carried the burden of the future in his soul—to have to wrestle with an obstinate stomach!
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
He had not a sufficient grasp upon his mighty subject—nor for that matter had he freedom to get by himself and wrestle it out.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for wrestle

wrestle

/ (ˈrɛsəl) /

verb

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

(intr) to participate in wrestling

(when intr, foll by with or against) to fight with (a person, problem, or thing)wrestle with one's conscience

(tr) to move laboriously, as with wrestling movements

(tr) US and Canadian to throw (an animal) for branding

noun

the act of wrestling

a struggle or tussle

Derived forms of wrestle

wrestler, noun

Word Origin for wrestle

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

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

wrestle

Origin of wrestle

OTHER WORDS FROM wrestle

Words nearby wrestle

Words related to wrestle

How to use wrestle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wrestle

Derived forms of wrestle

Word Origin for wrestle