wrestling

verb

Definition of wrestlingnext
present participle of wrestle
as in fighting
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

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 wrestling Benjamin Satterley, known to wrestling fans around the world as Pac, died last month of bronchial asthma, the medical examiner’s office in Cook County, Illinois, confirmed Friday. — Rudy Chinchilla, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026 Inside the school Giamanco saw a woman wrestling with the boy for control of the shotgun. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Unlike Netflix, Disney is wrestling with the ongoing deterioration of linear TV. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 For four hours, this extraordinary group, many of whom had not seen each other in 50 years, reminisced, critiqued, argued, laughed and drank while wrestling with their place in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 It’s even suggested that Elia’s injuries might have resulted from a minor accident at home, or even wrestling in gym class. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026 For Che, wrestling with all sides of seemingly intractable issues—like figuring out how to solve the gun violence epidemic in our country—is what generates the comedy. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026 What transpired in Week 5 has left them wrestling with questions on both offense and defense. — Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026 The town has spent years wrestling with how to reduce aircraft noise, including past efforts to impose curfews and restrictions becoming tied up in court. — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrestling
  1. fighting
  2. grappling
  3. brawling
  4. tussling
Verb
  • Rather than fighting strict local regulations head-on, companies like Waymo, Zoox, and Aurora are prioritizing states with explicit legislative preemption that prevents individual cities from banning the technology.
    — Andrew Hawkins, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The procedure had already been approved, and everyone involved understood that my doctor had spent months fighting to secure authorization.
    — Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of fighting
Verb
  • Back in Bend, Cook, the district superintendent at Bend-La Pine Schools, spent Friday with staff at the school who are grappling with the devastating aftermath.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Seyfried gets defensive about this, grappling with her own complicated feelings about playing a real person on film.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of grappling
Verb
  • Combs was previously placed in solitary confinement after brawling with another inmate back in July.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Latino culture typecasts hombres as eternal machos always a few drinks away from brawling or bawling.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of brawling
Verb
  • Michigan is looking for a more complete performance after tussling with UTEP through the first half last week.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The video depicts a group of students engaged in horseplay, progressing to two 15-year-olds tussling and laughing, according to the suit.
    — Eric Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of tussling

Browse Nearby Words

wrestle (with)
wrestling
wrestling (with)
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Cite this Entry

“Wrestling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrestling. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wrestling

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wrestling

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