- (intransitive) to argue, esp noisily or angrily
- (transitive) to encourage, persuade, or obtain by argument
- (transitive) Western US Canadian to herd (cattle or horses)
- a noisy or angry argument
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
wran•gle /ˈræŋgəl/USA pronunciation
v., -gled, -gling, n.
v.
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026v.
- to argue, quarrel, debate, or dispute, esp. noisily or angrily:[no object]The kids wrangled over who should get to sit near the window.
- to obtain by bothering, pestering, or badgering:[~ + object]He wrangled a small raise out of the boss, but it was hard work.
n. [countable]
- a noisy or angry dispute.
wran•gle
(rang′gəl),USA pronunciation v., -gled, -gling, n.
v.i.
v.t.
n.
v.i.
- to argue or dispute, esp. in a noisy or angry manner.
v.t.
- to argue or dispute.
- to tend or round up (cattle, horses, or other livestock).
- to obtain, often by contrivance or scheming;
wangle:He wrangled a job through a friend.
n.
- a noisy or angry dispute;
altercation.
- Low German wrangeln, frequentative of wrangen to struggle, make an uproar; akin to wring
- Middle English, apparently 1350–1400
- 1. 5. quarrel, brawl. 5. argument.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
wrangle /ˈræŋɡəl/ vb
'wrangle' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):