wrestle

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to fight or compete by gripping an opponent and trying to throw or hold them down

   The two athletes wrestle in the final match tonight.

2. 2
   verb

   to struggle with a difficult problem, decision, feeling, or opposing force

   The committee must wrestle with the cost of the proposal.

From Middle English wrestlen, from Old English wrestlian, a frequentative of wraestan 'to twist or wrest.' The word ultimately belongs to a Germanic family built on the idea of twisting; the figurative sense extends physical grappling to mental struggle.

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