wrangle 1 of 2

wrangle

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun wrangle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wrangle are altercation, quarrel, and squabble. While all these words mean "a noisy dispute usually marked by anger," wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.

wrangle interminably about small issues

When could altercation be used to replace wrangle?

The synonyms altercation and wrangle are sometimes interchangeable, but altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.

a loud public altercation

When can quarrel be used instead of wrangle?

The words quarrel and wrangle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.

a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

When would squabble be a good substitute for wrangle?

Although the words squabble and wrangle have much in common, squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.

a brief squabble over what to do next

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of wrangle
Noun
Keep in mind, users will also have their two skis to wrangle, so every little bit of assistance helps. Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 6 Jan. 2025 Dive tour operators and anglers wrangle In St. Petersburg, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) temporarily closed pier fishing on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge after brown pelicans, ensnared by fishing lines, died. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
Sun Sentinel Everglades therapy: Veterans combat PTSD by wrangling invasive Burmese pythons A South Florida Water Management District python removing contractor leads a team of python-hunting veterans in the Florida Everglades as part of his nonprofit Swamp Apes. South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2025 The House leader had enjoyed a string of political victories especially wrangling all GOP lawmakers except one to vote in favor of a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wrangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrangle
Noun
  • Book dispute is one of three religious rights cases The case is one of three religious rights cases the Supreme Court is deciding in the coming weeks, and appears likely to be part of a recent trend of the court siding with religious rights advocates.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Besides brokering negotiations for private employers, the mediators handle worker grievances; train joint labor-management committees; appoint arbitrators if a dispute cannot be resolved; and assist with negotiation impasses in the federal sector.
    Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Trump, who appointed Powell during his first term, has long bickered with the Fed chair over interest rates.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Laurie stormed off and had a bummer of a night, hanging out with Valentin and his grifter Russian buddies at a Muay Thai fight — and ultimately fleeing half-dressed from one of their angry girlfriends — while Jaclyn and Kate stayed behind and bickered some more.
    Noel Murray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The quarrel escalated into a fight, and Hernandez was stabbed multiple times in the abdomen, cops said.
    Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025
  • As the Venetians and the Ottoman Turks squabble over Cyprus in the background, the men before us quarrel over everything—a woman, a job, a handkerchief.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Mills argued the clause blocks the lawsuit because the Federal Tort Claims Act directs federal judges to interpret the merits of this type of case based on state law.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Xzibit’s filing argues that the two have been separated for more than four years.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Create a powerful statement that positions me against this enemy and explains why this fight matters to my audience.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • The health care fight — over a discount drug program — will play out in the House’s Health and Human Services Committee on Monday.
    Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The first is that when U.S. soldiers returned from the war there, protesters spat upon them in disdain.
    Jonathan Zimmerman, Foreign Affairs, 19 May 2016
  • The flare comes after nearly a week of flares and coronal plasma ejections spat toward the planet that threatened disruptions to power and communications systems on Earth.
    Greg Wehner, Fox News, 15 May 2024
Noun
  • Panthers center Sam Bennett, who had a contentious altercation with Marchand in Round 2 of the playoffs last year, said Marchand’s first message after being added to the team group chat was a chirp.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
  • The footage shows an altercation between Perez and a man that officials say lasted for about 15 minutes before officers arrived on the scene.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Leaders who create space for disagreement without judgment build greater trust, psychological safety and strategic cohesion.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • In a landmark 1935 case, Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt couldn’t fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission due to policy disagreements.
    Quartz Staff, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wrangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrangle. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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