wrestle

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: wres=tle

CIDE DICTIONARY

wrestle, v. i. [OE. wrestlen, wrastlen, AS. wrstlian, freq. of wrstan to wrest; akin to OD. wrastelen to wrestle. See Wrest, v. t.].

•  To contend, by grappling with, and striving to trip or throw down, an opponent; as, they wrestled skillfully.  [1913 Webster]

  "To-morrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit, and he that escapes me without some broken limb shall acquit him well."  [1913 Webster]

  "Another, by a fall in wrestling, started the end of the clavicle from the sternum."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, to struggle; to strive earnestly; to contend.  [1913 Webster]

  "Come, wrestle with thy affections."  [1913 Webster]

  "We wrestle not against flesh and blood."  [1913 Webster]

  "Difficulties with which he had himself wrestled."  [1913 Webster]

wrestle, v. t. 

 To wrestle with; to seek to throw down as in wrestling.  [1913 Webster]

wrestle, n. 

 A struggle between two persons to see which will throw the other down; a bout at wrestling; a wrestling match; a struggle.  [1913 Webster]
"Whom in a wrestle the giant catching aloft, with a terrible hug broke three of his ribs."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

wrestle, n. & v.
--n.
1 a contest in which two opponents grapple and try to throw each other to the ground esp. as an athletic sport under a code of rules.
2 a hard struggle.
--v.
1 intr. (often foll. by with) take part in a wrestle.
2 tr. fight (a person) in a wrestle (wrestled his opponent to the ground).
3 intr. a (foll. by with, against) struggle, contend. b (foll. by with) do one's utmost to deal with (a task, difficulty, etc.).
4 tr. move with efforts as if wrestling.

Derivative

wrestler n. wrestling n.

Etymology

OE (unrecorded) wr{aelig}stlian: cf. MLG wrostelen, OE wraxlian

THESAURUS

wrestle

agonize, battle, box, brawl, broil, buffet, clash, close, collide, combat, come to blows, contend, contest, cut and thrust, duel, endeavor, essay, exchange blows, exert, fence, feud, fight, fight a duel, give and take, give satisfaction, grapple, grapple with, grunt and sweat, hassle, huff and puff, jostle, joust, labor, mix it up, moil, quarrel, rassle, riot, run a tilt, scramble, scuffle, skirmish, spar, strain, stretch, strive, struggle, thrust and parry, tilt, toil, tourney, travail, tussle, wage war, war, work

ROGET THESAURUS

wrestle

Contention

VB contend, contest, strive, struggle, scramble, wrestle, spar, square, exchange blows, exchange fisticuffs, fib, justle, tussle, tilt, box, stave, fence, skirmish, pickeer, fight, wrangle, contend with, grapple with, engage with, close with, buckle with, bandy with, try conclusions with, have a brush, with, tilt with, encounter, fall foul of, pitch into, clapperclaw, run a tilt at, oppose, reluct, join issue, come to blows, go to loggerheads, set to, come to the scratch, exchange shots, measure swords, meet hand to hand, take up the cudgels, take up the glove, take up the gauntlet, enter the lists, couch one's lance, give satisfaction, appeal to arms, lay about one, break the peace, compete with, cope with, vie with, race with, outvie, emulate, rival, run a race, contend for, stipulate for, stickle for, insist upon, make a point of.