wrestle

American  

[res-uhl] / ˈrɛs əl /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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noun

1. the act of wrestling

2. a struggle or tussle

Other Word Forms

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

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

Example Sentences

Together, they wrestle with the legacy of teenage stardom and its global meteoric impact.

From Los Angeles Times

Ultimately, “Against the Dying of the Light” succeeds as a whole because it’s so layered, offering aesthetic beauty and room-filling atmosphere on the surface and tangled concepts to wrestle with the deeper you go.

From The Wall Street Journal

Have Old Firm wrestled title momentum away from Hearts?

From BBC

We wrestled over it, laughing as we tried to keep the spray of water toward the tub.

From Literature

“I think what the market’s trying to wrestle with is timing,” said Seth Meyer, global head of client portfolio management at Janus Henderson Investors.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

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