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

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.

Example Sentences

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

“I do think it’s a moment to wrestle with our own consciences,” Carlson said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Naturalist and narrator extraordinaire David Attenborough is likely beyond the point where he wants to wrestle a baby gorilla in the mountains of Rwanda.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Families with millions of dollars sometimes wrestle with the burden that money will put on their children.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

Mouse chose a long silver chain as big around as my finger to drag into a corner and wrestle into submission.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

Related Words

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