wrestling

noun

wres·​tling ˈre-sliŋ How to pronounce wrestling (audio)
ˈra-;
ˈre-sᵊl-iŋ,
ˈra-
: a sport or contest in which two unarmed individuals struggle hand to hand with each attempting to subdue or unbalance the other

Examples of wrestling in a Sentence

My favorite sport is wrestling. He was on the wrestling team in high school.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rikishi, a member of the iconic Anoa'i wrestling dynasty, is one of the most popular stars of the Attitude Era. Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025 What are people who are on the inside in foreign policy wrestling with right now? Katie Campione, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2025 Although the show was opened by the Super Fly God himself, some attendees were clearly only seated for the headliner, side-eyeing the hyperbolic lyrics about cooking bricks and live wrestling stunts. Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 17 Oct. 2025 The Wyatt Sicks are a wrestling stable whose characters were born of Windham’s imagination. Eve Chen, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wrestling

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrestling was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wrestling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrestling. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

wrestling

noun
wres·​tling ˈres-liŋ How to pronounce wrestling (audio)
: the sport in which two contestants wrestle each other
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!