as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily
a town meeting at which local residents wrangled for hours about property taxes
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Recent Examples of wrangling
But there was plenty of wrangling ahead.
—
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Legal wrangling ahead of the trial had stretched out over 14 months, while lawyers and law-enforcement agents pored over hundreds of pages of filings, reports, and statements, and watched scores of video clips.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Companies will also be wrangling with policy headwinds such as tariffs and the normalization of the base rate, as well as how consumer spending will hold up through the rest of the year.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
In a way, Robertson and Johnson have been wrangling these kinds of connections for their patients for years.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Dec. 2025
My own experience of wrangling the past has been different.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
On Tuesday, the agency posted a video on Facebook showing deputies wrangling a 14-foot, 600-pound alligator and loading it into a truck.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Delivered in three episodes, this sweeping narrative details the origins of our long-enduring national obsession with the job of managing land and wrangling cattle on horseback.
—James Edward Mills, Outside, 25 Nov. 2025
All loads easier than wrangling an ungainly bird half the table doesn’t really much care for anyway (what?
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Legal wrangling ahead of the trial had stretched out over 14 months, while lawyers and law-enforcement agents pored over hundreds of pages of filings, reports, and statements, and watched scores of video clips.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Companies will also be wrangling with policy headwinds such as tariffs and the normalization of the base rate, as well as how consumer spending will hold up through the rest of the year.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
In a way, Robertson and Johnson have been wrangling these kinds of connections for their patients for years.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Dec. 2025
My own experience of wrangling the past has been different.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
On Tuesday, the agency posted a video on Facebook showing deputies wrangling a 14-foot, 600-pound alligator and loading it into a truck.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Delivered in three episodes, this sweeping narrative details the origins of our long-enduring national obsession with the job of managing land and wrangling cattle on horseback.
—James Edward Mills, Outside, 25 Nov. 2025
All loads easier than wrangling an ungainly bird half the table doesn’t really much care for anyway (what?
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrangling
Verb
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Someone on the bench started bickering with Cameroon’s first goalscorer, Junior Tchamadeu, during a break in play.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Federal Reserve chair and the president stood stiffly, side by side, in matching hard hats, bickering on a building site, for all the world to see.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Trump has openly lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize, arguing that his actions have helped resolve multiple international conflicts, claims that have drawn public backing from several world leaders.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Prosecutors deny Bondi has conflict of interest Federal prosecutors slammed the defense's claims as meritless and misleading, arguing there is no conflict of interest with the attorney general because there is no present or future financial gain.—
Christina Fan,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Barton gave the jury the impression of a man prepared to go into daily combat on numerous fronts, constantly fighting one battle after another, in service of his principles.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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The Justice Department under him was not really interested in fighting crime.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The discovery was entirely by chance, and happened when an officer responded to Mirella's parents' residence after neighbors reported quarreling, per several outlets.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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The political malaise risks metastasizing into an economic crisis because the quarreling political parties cannot agree on a way forward, such as passing a budget and addressing the country's alarming budget deficit and mounting national debt.—
John Toher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrangling. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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