wrestling

1 of 2

noun

wres·​tling ˈre-sliŋ 

ˈra-;

ˈre-sᵊl-iŋ, 

ˈra-

1

: a sport or contest in which two unarmed individuals try to throw, force, or pin each other to the ground

My favorite sport in school was wrestling.

—often used before another noun

a wrestling coach

wrestling matches

2

: a staged and often scripted theatrical dramatization of wrestling : professional wrestling

… the choreographed wrestling that has made millionaires of over-sized bad actors.

—Tom Ford

Her current … gimmick, a blend of old-school Hollywood glamour and unhinged aggression, has become one of the most popular and entertaining acts in all of wrestling.

—Andrew Ravens

—often used before another noun

a wrestling star

… while his persona might be all about chaos, underneath is a hard worker who is making waves in the wrestling world.

—Orlander Ruming

wrestling

2 of 2

present participle of wrestle entry 1

Examples of wrestling in a Sentence

Noun

My favorite sport is wrestling.

He was on the wrestling team in high school.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Styles has just started his pro wrestling career but has only appeared in Game Changer Wrestling. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Nobody in wrestling matches Punk’s believability, including Owens, but Owens’ top-tier talking has helped to make this an early contender for feud of the year. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The coach intended to use the barn as a wrestling room for his players. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Spirit Weighs Nothing is the first-ever documentary feature to reveal the secret world of sumo wrestling to international audiences, all from the unique perspective of the famed wrestlers themselves. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English wrastlinge, going back to Old English wrǣstlunge, from wrǣstlian* "to wrestle entry 1" + -unge -ing entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wrestling

• arm wrestling
• Indian wrestling
• professional wrestling
• pro wrestling
• wrist wrestling

Kids Definition

wrestling

noun

wres·​tling ˈres-liŋ 

: the sport in which two contestants wrestle each other