wrestle

1 of 2

verb

wres·​tle ˈre-səl  ˈra- 

wrestled; wrestling ˈre-sliŋ 

ˈra-;

ˈre-sᵊl-iŋ, 

ˈra-

intransitive verb

1

: to contend by grappling with and striving to trip or throw an opponent down or off balance

2

: to combat an opposing tendency or force

wrestling with his conscience

3

: to engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate

4

: to engage in or as if in a violent or determined struggle

wrestling with cumbersome luggage

transitive verb

1

a

: to engage in (a match, bout, or fall) in wrestling

b

: to wrestle with

wrestle an alligator

2

: to move, maneuver, or force with difficulty

wrestler

ˈre-slər 

ˈra-;

ˈre-sᵊl-ər, 

ˈra-

noun

wrestle

2 of 2

noun

: the action or an instance of wrestling : struggle

especially : a wrestling bout

Synonyms of wrestle

Verb

• fight
• grapple

Examples of wrestle in a Sentence

Verb

They'll be wrestling each other for the championship.

They'll be wrestling with each other for the championship.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

He had been asked about the penalty claim when Micky van de Ven was wrestled to the ground in the area, when Spurs were desperately chasing a goal. —Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 25 May 2026

Jelly Roll has wrestled a couple of times recently. —Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026

Stock market bulls wrestled back control last week after a brief respite, putting the S & P 500 back on the cusp of another record high. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 23 May 2026

Cain Lee Clark, 17, wrestled at a Clairemont high school while attending online school, according to school records. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English wrastlen, wrestlen, from Old English wrǣstlian, frequentative of wrǣstan

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1593, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing wrestle

• Indian-wrestle

Rhymes for wrestle

• cresol
• decile
• nestle
• pestle
• sessile
• trestle
• vessel
• wessel
• subsessile

Kids Definition

wrestle

1 of 2 verb

wres·​tle ˈres-əl 

wrestled; wrestling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to struggle with and try to throw down an opponent

2

: to compete against in wrestling

3

: to struggle for control (as of something difficult)

wrestler

ˈres-lər 

noun

wrestle

2 of 2 noun

: the action or an instance of wrestling