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

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

Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate are now wrestling under different monikers as part of their new masked gimmick. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025

With Austin Reaves shooing Hachimura off-stage and playfully wrestling the mic away. —Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025

At the airport, the driver wrestled our bags to the curb and was gone. —Ann Patchett, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Aaliyah secured an athletic scholarship after going to the state championships while wrestling for high schools in Wyoming and New Mexico, securing second place twice. —Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 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