wrestle
Americanverb (used without object)
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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.
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to force by or as if by wrestling.
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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
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the act of wrestling
-
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“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 • Mar. 15, 2026
Movies, for better or worse, are among the few remaining ways for Americans to encounter, metabolize, and wrestle with big moral issues at scale.
From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026
A spoon salad doesn’t ask you to wrestle anything.
From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026
“Since I’m not that large, I try to wrestle by getting underneath my opponent, forcing them upwards, and moving inside their space,” Aonishiki said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026
We stare at each other for a minute, and then I gently wrestle him to the ground.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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.
