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
Caroline Sherley, 18, serves alongside Chi on MAC’s leadership team to help organize trips and monthly meetings, teach skills, and wrangle gear and food for outings. Zoe Gates, Outside Online, 27 Apr. 2025 It will never be proved quite how much the pressure experienced by Refaat during these wrangles with Egypt’s government contributed to his death, although doctors have since publicly suggested that stress was a factor in his heart problems. Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 30 July 2024
Verb
Come here on September 26 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Buffalo Roundup, as skilled cowboys and cowgirls wrangle more than 1,300 bison through the park’s rugged landscape. Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 30 June 2025 The Texarkana Texas Police Department managed to wrangle a baby alligator from under a car in a church parking lot., as churchgoers recorded footage or watched in shock. Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for wrangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrangle
Noun
  • Threads on the South Park subreddit and social media have lit up with foul-mouthed complaints from international fans, most of them directed at Paramount and David Ellison’s Skydance Media, whose $8 billion buyout of Paramount is at the heart of the South Park dispute.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
  • But there are still some sour grapes about the big tactical dispute in February.
    Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • As officials bickered over who had the right to investigate, the crime scene was overrun by gawkers who pocketed souvenirs and tampered with crucial evidence — including an unknown man’s handkerchief, a pair of glasses and the gun used in the murder.
    Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 27 June 2025
  • Trump withdrew his nomination of Isaacman as the president bickered with Musk in the waning days of the billionaire's formal involvement with the White House.
    Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • Your celestial ruler, Mercury, will also station retrograde in your communication sector (for the win), triggering misunderstandings and unnecessary quarrels with siblings or neighbors.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 8 July 2025
  • According to writer and historian Geoffrey C. Ward, Johnson had his quarrels inside and outside the ring.
    Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Verb
  • What made the transformation into a cinematic cut possible was the high quality of the game, argued Pekař.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2025
  • Critics have argued that families in poverty have more immediate needs and that their children should receive a larger endowment if the goal is to help level the playing field.
    MORIAH BALINGIT, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • Pledging weapons for Ukraine's fight appears to be the latest stage in this pivot.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
  • The antibiotics he was prescribed after the fight could have also altered his mind.
    Caroline Blair, People.com, 9 July 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
  • Back in May, former Washington Commanders running back Adrian Peterson went viral for his involvement in a physical altercation at a poker game in Houston, Texas.
    Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
  • The altercation could be setting the stage for an official showdown between Jelly and Paul at this year’s SummerSlam, scheduled for Aug. 2–3 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Watch Jelly Roll face off with Logan Paul at WWE SmackDown in the clip below.
    Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 13 July 2025
Noun
  • Internal disagreements among board members further complicate SDC's situation.
    Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 18 July 2025
  • Because of this, students should note that the topic of the disagreement matters far less than how the disagreement illuminates the student’s capacity for reflection, listening, and growth.
    Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wrangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrangle. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.

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