wrangler

noun wran·gler \ ˈraŋ-g(ə-)lər \

Definition of wrangler

1 :a bickering disputant

[short for horse-wrangler, probably partial translation of Mexican Spanish caballerango groom]

:a ranch hand who takes care of the saddle horses; broadly :cowboy

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Examples of wrangler in a Sentence

a rough-hewn wrangler who never says much
known as a petty, unrelenting wrangler who likes argument for the sake of argument

Recent Examples of wrangler from the Web

The Official Preppy Handbook had come out in 1980, and did its own job of identifying the schools, jobs, northeastern suburbs, Jeep wranglers, Upper East Side watering holes, and uniforms of a certain group of monied, East Coast Wasps.

— olivia blair, Town & Country, "Looking Back at the Official Sloane Ranger Handbook 35 Years Later," 18 Aug. 2017
The barroom brawl over who is the top wrangler at Billy Bob’s Texas continues.

— max b. baker, star-telegram, "Brawl continues over who’s the top hand at Billy Bob’s Texas," 13 Aug. 2017
Rich Flores, one of the Clones, stepped in as the official wrangler.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "A Jungle Reunion: Inside One Man's Dream to Re-Create a 1996 SI Photo Shoot," 5 Aug. 2017
But come July, Southcentral fish wranglers focus on dipnet fisheries on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers and Fish Creek outside of Wasilla.

— suzanna caldwell, Alaska Dispatch News, "Here’s what you need to know before the Kenai dipnetting season opens," 8 July 2017
The summit is meant to draw lines around common ground and interests, and with the U.S. trying to step out on some of the most important issues, Merkel played the role of the patient wrangler.

— j. weston phippen, The Atlantic, "Merkel's Impossible Role at the G20 Summit," 8 July 2017
How was it that dozens of Jeep Wranglers were being brazenly stolen in the dead of night, with no broken glass to be found?

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Feds: Mexican motorcycle club used stolen key data to fuel massive Jeep heist," 1 July 2017
McConnell is a savvy political wrangler and survivor (see Tory Newmeyer’s great 2014 profile of the fellow in Fortune).

— clifton leaf, Fortune, "Did Senate Republicans Knowingly Craft Their Health Care Bill to Fail?," 23 June 2017
Happy trails Ahead of each daily 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ride, the wranglers check the chalkboard listing guests to horses — Bon Jovi, Bowie and Boone to Peaches and Pizza (naming a herd of horses takes creativity and the entire alphabet).

— nicola bridges, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Dude ranch has horse trails, spa comforts," 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wrangler.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of wrangler

circa 1510

wrangler Synonyms

Synonyms

buckaroo (also buckeroo), cowhand, cowman, cowpoke, cowpuncher, waddy (or waddie) [West], cowboy

Related Words

cowgirl; caballero [chiefly Southwest], gaucho, vaquero; horseman, horsewoman; cattleman, rancher, stockman; cowherd, drover, herder, herdsman

WRANGLER Defined for English Language Learners

wrangler

noun

Definition of wrangler for English Language Learners

: a person who takes care of horses on a ranch

WRANGLER Defined for Kids

wrangler

noun wran·gler \ ˈraŋ-glər \

Definition of wrangler for Students

1 :a person who quarrels

2 :a worker on a ranch who tends horses or cattle

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