wrestle

verb

wres·tle | \ ˈre-səl ,

ˈra-

wrestled; wrestling\ˈres-liŋ,

ˈras-; ˈre-sᵊl-iŋ, ˈra- \

Definition of wrestle

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

1a : 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

wrestle

noun

Definition of wrestle (Entry 2 of 2)

: the action or an instance of wrestling : struggle especially : a wrestling bout

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Synonyms for wrestle

Synonyms: Verb

grapple, scuffle, tussle

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

Back then, those words had a particular resonance at GM, which was still wrestling with the aftermath of an ignition switch engineering flaw that was linked to the deaths of over 100 people. — Rick Tetzeli, Fortune, "GM Gets Ready for a Post-Car Future," 23 May 2018 Players on both teams wrestled with each other before eventually being separated. — Michael Katz, idahostatesman, "Punches thrown and benches cleared in Padres-Rockies game at Coors Field | Idaho Statesman," 11 Apr. 2018 The situation comes at a complicated point for Joe, who’s wrestling with mortality, how to still best serve the USA, and why Barack can’t be bothered to call. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "Obama and Biden ride again (as detectives!) in the fun mystery, 'Hope Never Dies'," 9 July 2018 Raw: Sinkhole swallows cars amid storms Advertisement A massive sinkhole in the Studio City section of Los Angeles swallowed two vehicles as Southern California wrestled with a huge weekend Pacific storm. — Robert A. Cronkleton, kansascity, "Sinkhole has officials urging drivers to seek alternate routes into Kearney," 1 July 2018 As listeners wrestle with what ethical musical consumption in 2018 looks like, and who can and should be canceled, there’s no ignoring the accounts of partner abuse from Pun’s family. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "The 50 Greatest Deep Cuts of 1998: Critics' Picks," 31 May 2018 Hamlet Murder, madness and ghostly visitations stalk Denmark in Shakespeare’s tragedy, now in a Marin Shakespeare production, as a young prince wrestles with his philosophy and filial obligation. — Chronicle Staff Report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of May 27," 24 May 2018 What follows is grim and occasionally transcendent, as Schrader's characters wrestle with god and faith, in this life and the next. — Zach Baron, GQ, "Paul Schrader Isn't Done Yet," 18 May 2018 Split Ends While Englund and others wrestle with individual electrons, some scientists are diving even deeper into the quantum world and trying to manipulate mere fractions of electrons. — Neil Savage, Scientific American, "What Are the Limits of Manipulating Nature?," 8 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In a sneak peek at Sunday’s episode of Total Bellas, the 34-year-old wrestles with an important question: Who should walk her down the aisle? — Maria Pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Nikki Bella Questions Who Should Walk Her Down the Aisle in Wedding to John Cena," 22 June 2018 Yet Ms Haspel’s confirmation hearing was less an honest airing of this dilemma than a partisan mud-wrestle. — The Economist, "Gina Haspel, alleged water-boarder, could be the next CIA director," 10 May 2018 But as tensions between the U.S. and China grow, ASEAN is once again caught in the middle of what could be a damaging arm-wrestle between great powers. — Simon Roughneen, latimes.com, "Southeast Asian nations watching China-U.S. trade tiff warily, but reluctant to speak out," 27 Apr. 2018 Their first handshake, a virtual arm-wrestle at an international meeting in Germany last June, produced a globally viral video. — Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, "As Macron arrives to meet Trump, fate of Iran nuclear deal is front and center," 22 Apr. 2018 Their first handshake, a virtual arm-wrestle at an international meeting in Germany last June, produced a globally viral video. — Karen Deyoung, chicagotribune.com, "As Macron arrives to meet Trump, fate of Iran nuclear deal is front and center," 22 Apr. 2018 But in every devastating moment, every existential wrestle, Acevedo sows seeds of beauty and growth. — Katie Ward Beim-esche, The Christian Science Monitor, "YA novel 'The Poet X' is an elegiac meditation on poesy and religion," 23 Mar. 2018 There are two sessions today, beginning at 11 a.m. with wrestle-back semifinals followed by third-, fifth- and seventh-place medal round matches. — Pat Galbincea, cleveland.com, "Penn State-Ohio State, Snyder-Coon cap NCAA Wrestling Championships tonight at The Q (photos)," 17 Mar. 2018 Always losing in the blood round (the round that eliminates a wrestle from podium position). — Adam Baum, Cincinnati.com, "Moeller's Jake Thompson brings state wrestling title back home," 10 Mar. 2018

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