wrestle

[res-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wrestle 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.

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

Related formswres·tler, nounout·wres·tle, verb (used with object), out·wres·tled, out·wres·tling.un·wres·tled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for wrestle

contend, tussle, scuffle, grapple, tangle, strive, essay, combat, exert, work, fight, strain, battle, endeavor, grunt

Examples from the Web for wrestle

Contemporary Examples of wrestle

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
“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
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
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
Yet he continued to wrestle with a demon that the Perry Street regular felt sure could be summarized in four syllables.
NYPD: We Have Hoffman’s Diary
Michael Daly
February 5, 2014

Historical Examples of wrestle

Two stand up to wrestle, and are on the point of coming to blows.
Old Ticonderoga, A Picture of The Past
Nathaniel Hawthorne
If it hadn't a bin in Henry's house I'd took a wrestle out of him.
Uncles Josh's Punkin Centre Stories
Cal Stewart
He was up on his hind legs, and it was a wrestle between master and dog.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
They were taught to box, to wrestle, to throw the discus, and to hurl the spear.
Introductory American History
Henry Eldridge Bourne
Did I like to go there, or did I strive and wrestle with the power that forced me?'
Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for wrestle

wrestle

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 Formswrestler, 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

Word Origin and History for wrestle

Old English *wræstlian, frequentative of wræstan "to wrest" (see wrest). Cf. North Frisian wrassele, Middle Low German worstelen. Figurative sense is recorded from early 13c. Related: Wrestled; wrestling.