wrestle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to engage in wrestling.
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to contend, as in a struggle for mastery; grapple.
to wrestle with one's conscience.
verb (used with object)
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to contend with in wrestling.
-
to force by or as if by wrestling.
-
to throw (a calf or other animal) for branding.
noun
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an act of or a bout at wrestling.
-
a struggle.
verb
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to fight (another person) by holding, throwing, etc, without punching with the closed fist
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(intr) to participate in wrestling
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to fight with (a person, problem, or thing)
wrestle with one's conscience
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(tr) to move laboriously, as with wrestling movements
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(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
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wrestlesimple
-
wrestlessimple
-
have wrestledperfect
-
has wrestledperfect
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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
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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.
Citizens go about their days, anxieties bleeding into their behaviors, trying to wrestle some control from a world that offers them none.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
That narrative will be vital as the company tries to wrestle investor attention from its larger peers.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
In a world where most companies wrestle with rising input costs, too much cash will be a good problem to have.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
But as Bright continues to wrestle with the emotions of her big announcement, she says she has been unable to read it all.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
Kaz watched him wrestle with the reality of Wylan’s voice coming from Kuwei’s mouth.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
