1. (

• wrestle ,
• wrestling ,
• grapple ,
• grappling ,
• hand-to-hand_struggle

) the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat; "they had a fierce wrestle"; "we watched his grappling and wrestling with the bully" ;

1. (

• wrestle ,

) combat to overcome an opposing tendency or force; "He wrestled all his life with his feeling of inferiority" ;

2. (

• wrestle

) engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate; "I wrestled with this decision for years" ;

3. (

• writhe ,
• wrestle ,
• wriggle ,
• worm ,
• squirm ,
• twist ,

) to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling); "The prisoner writhed in discomfort"; "The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace" ;

4. (

• wrestle

) engage in a wrestling match; "The children wrestled in the garden" ;