wrestle
Americanverb (used without object)
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to engage in wrestling.
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to contend, as in a struggle for mastery; grapple.
to wrestle with one's conscience.
verb (used with object)
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to contend with in wrestling.
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to force by or as if by wrestling.
-
to throw (a calf or other animal) for branding.
noun
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an act of or a bout at wrestling.
-
a struggle.
verb
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to fight (another person) by holding, throwing, etc, without punching with the closed fist
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(intr) to participate in wrestling
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to fight with (a person, problem, or thing)
wrestle with one's conscience
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(tr) to move laboriously, as with wrestling movements
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(tr) to throw (an animal) for branding
noun
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the act of wrestling
-
a struggle or tussle
Other Word Forms
- outwrestle verb (used with object)
- unwrestled adjective
- wrestler noun
Etymology
Origin of wrestle
before 1100; Middle English wrestlen, wrastlen (v.), Old English *wrǣstlian (compare Old English wrǣstlere wrestler), frequentative of wrǣstan to wrest; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German worstelen
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Messi, who was brought on as a half-time substitute, was wrestled to the turf by a spectator with two minutes remaining of normal time.
From BBC
Besides, right then I had too many worries of my own to wrestle with.
From Literature
Then all the trolls started whacking each other, and they rolled and wrestled on the ground.
From Literature
He continues to wrestle with State Farm over safety tests, delayed living expenses and ever-changing adjusters.
From Los Angeles Times
A spoon salad doesn’t ask you to wrestle anything.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
