wrestle

1 of 2

verb

wres·tle ˈre-səl

ˈra-

wrestled; wrestling ˈre-sliŋ

ˈra-;

ˈre-sᵊl-iŋ,

ˈra-

Synonyms of wrestle next

intransitive verb

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

: to combat an opposing tendency or force

wrestling with his conscience

: to engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate

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

wrestling with cumbersome luggage

transitive verb

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

: to wrestle with

wrestle an alligator

: 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

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

Bartenders have been wrestling with this problem for a long time. —

Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2023 As Spielberg and Bergman and hundreds more filmmakers have invented stages to wrestle with existential angst, Williams mounts his own eccentric production. —

J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 22 Sep. 2023 The two came within 100 yards of me and began affectionately wrestling before lying down. —

Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 21 Sep. 2023 The clash in Washington highlights a question the climate movement has only just begun to wrestle with: In the fight for swift and just climate action, what strategies can create urgency and disruption without blurring enemy lines? —

Claire Ravenscroft, The New Republic, 21 Sep. 2023 An aspiring luchador who lives in El Paso, Texas, he’s been wrestling on the semi-pro circuit in Ciudad Juárez for a while. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2023 Federal Reserve officials are expected to leave interest rates unchanged at their meeting on Wednesday, buying themselves more time to assess whether borrowing costs are high enough to weigh down the economy and wrestle inflation under control. —

Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023 Seeing young people wrestle with their youthful idealism and then maturing under all these different constraints. —

Kajsa Kedefors, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023 Johnson last wrestled an impromptu, six-second match at WWE’s WrestleMania 32 event in 2016. —

Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wrestle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.