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

Surfing, fishing, roasting marshmallows and wrestling kangaroos. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025

But more than before, people are wrestling with both its amazing capabilities and its striking shortcomings. —Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Dec. 2025

In a video shared by county officials, a man with a backpack can be seen charging at a lit menorah, wrestling with it and then slamming it to the ground, causing the lightbulbs to break and scatter on the sidewalk. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025

And instead of wrestling with margins and fonts, users can work inside guardrails that keep the focus on content. —K. H. Koehler, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025

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