as in grapples
to seize and attempt to unbalance one another for the purpose of achieving physical mastery
the sisters wrestled on the floor over the last cookie
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wrestles
At left, Nora wrestles Jefferson’s Ella Hughes during the finals of the 135-pound weight class.
—
Jason Getz, AJC.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Judah Heeg, who wrestles for Lemont, and Providence’s Luke Banas both finished fourth.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
The 5-foot-4 Escobar, who wrestles at 122 pounds, had organized his wrestling clothing, food and drinks the night before.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
This season, silence is louder than words, loyalties are tested, and as each woman wrestles with the past, not everyone will make it to the other side the same.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
The police officer then wrestles Newman to the ground, and no shots are fired.
—Kate Reilly, NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
Another video geolocated by CNN captures the outstanding moment a bystander, who has since been named as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, then wrestles the gun off the shooter, before the gunman retreats to the bridge.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
Booker is 4-of-6 from the field and Carlton wrestles a rebound away from UTRGV to extend Texas' sizeable lead.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 10 Dec. 2025
Joel Edgerton stars as resilient logger Robert, who wrestles with tragedy in the Pacific Northwest.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Jason Getz, AJC.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Judah Heeg, who wrestles for Lemont, and Providence’s Luke Banas both finished fourth.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
The 5-foot-4 Escobar, who wrestles at 122 pounds, had organized his wrestling clothing, food and drinks the night before.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
This season, silence is louder than words, loyalties are tested, and as each woman wrestles with the past, not everyone will make it to the other side the same.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
The police officer then wrestles Newman to the ground, and no shots are fired.
—Kate Reilly, NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
Another video geolocated by CNN captures the outstanding moment a bystander, who has since been named as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, then wrestles the gun off the shooter, before the gunman retreats to the bridge.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
Booker is 4-of-6 from the field and Carlton wrestles a rebound away from UTRGV to extend Texas' sizeable lead.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 10 Dec. 2025
Joel Edgerton stars as resilient logger Robert, who wrestles with tragedy in the Pacific Northwest.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrestles
Verb
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Reinhart’s character, having woken up inside the ship, grapples with moments of doubt and anguish throughout the music video.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
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Health officials have warned people in Southern California about unsafe swimming conditions at Los Angeles-area beaches as the region grapples with scorching and dangerous temperatures.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Their friendship — sometimes, as sparring partners — led to an iconic faceoff in the 1972 movie Return of the Dragon, in which Lee fights and kills Norris’ character in Rome’s Colosseum.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
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Spider-Man fights Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Scorpion (Michael Mando), and other threats seem to be on the horizon.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrestles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrestles. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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