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
Traditional barnstorming, air wars and social media fights have marked contentious GOP wrangling in Texas’ marquee race.
—
Joseph Morton, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Filmmakers, artisans and creatives must balance their time between making art and completing busywork, such as reviewing feedback, wrangling files and sharing footage with stakeholders.
—Caitlin White, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
But he was also quickly impeached following wrangling with opposition lawmakers over his refusal to fill vacant seats at the Constitutional Court, which was deliberating whether to formally throw Yoon out of office.
—CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026
Multiple outlets have reported the departures of several top prosecutors in the wake of the federal wrangling over who should investigate the shooting.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 15 Jan. 2026
Flat funding Eyeing the NASA budget wrangling situation is Jack Kiraly, director of government relations for The Planetary Society, an independent space advocacy group.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Joseph Morton, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Filmmakers, artisans and creatives must balance their time between making art and completing busywork, such as reviewing feedback, wrangling files and sharing footage with stakeholders.
—Caitlin White, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
But he was also quickly impeached following wrangling with opposition lawmakers over his refusal to fill vacant seats at the Constitutional Court, which was deliberating whether to formally throw Yoon out of office.
—CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026
Multiple outlets have reported the departures of several top prosecutors in the wake of the federal wrangling over who should investigate the shooting.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 15 Jan. 2026
Flat funding Eyeing the NASA budget wrangling situation is Jack Kiraly, director of government relations for The Planetary Society, an independent space advocacy group.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrangling
Verb
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Her grandparents are constantly bickering, worn down by the pressures of keeping the family hotel afloat.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
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The choice not to pick a team has left fans bickering with each other.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The group sued top Missouri state officials and lawmakers in October, arguing the ballot measure, called Amendment 4, misled voters by burying its true intent — the direct democracy overhaul — under other bullet points.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
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The government defended the tariffs as legitimate responses to national security concerns and unfair trade practices, arguing that Congress had clearly intended to give presidents latitude to act swiftly.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In 2017, the 48-year-old former boxing champion retired from professional prize fighting undefeated at 50-0.—
Matt Schubert,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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Being positive, for me, means fighting against suffering and anger.—
Gaby Wood,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Her father, after quarreling with Antigone’s mother, locked her out of their house overnight, which led to a terrible accident.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
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Lydon’s revelation comes after years of quarreling with guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock, and drummer Paul Cook.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrangling. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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