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Synonyms

wrestling

American  
[res-ling] / ˈrɛs lɪŋ /

noun

  1. a sport in which two opponents struggle hand to hand in order to pin or press each other's shoulders to the mat or ground, with the style, rules, and regulations differing widely in amateur and professional matches.

  2. the act of a person who wrestles.

wrestling British  
/ ˈrɛslɪŋ /

noun

  1. any of certain sports in which the contestants fight each other according to various rules governing holds and usually forbidding blows with the closed fist. The principal object is to overcome the opponent either by throwing or pinning him to the ground or by causing him to submit See freestyle Graeco-Roman sumo

"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

Etymology

Origin of wrestling

before 1100; Middle English; Old English wrǣstlunge. See wrestle, -ing 1

Explanation

Wrestling is a sport in which two athletes compete to see who can hold the other down, using specific moves. If you enjoy grappling with your brother, pinning each other to the couch, you might want to take up wrestling. Wrestling is one of the oldest sports, dating back to the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians. The original Greek Olympics included a brutal, violent form of wrestling. If you watch or participate in high school or college wrestling, you know that these days, it's a highly controlled, athletic sport. So-called professional wrestling, on the other hand, is mainly a form of entertainment, featuring gaudy costumes and elaborately choreographed moves.

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Vocabulary lists containing wrestling

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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.

Now, Wall Street is wrestling with the sustainability of an upturn.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

What I am wrestling with is an essay not just written by A.I. but poorly imagined by A.I.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

One of the men, Saleh Mohammadi, was a 19-year-old member of the national wrestling team.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Each of those areas is packed with side quests and activities, ranging from fishing and arm wrestling to taming animals.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Normally this would have been just as much fun as the bear growl and the wrestling match.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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.