verb

wrangle

RANG-guhl

verb

To argue or quarrel at length, often noisily.

"The two lawyers wrangled over the contract for hours."

To herd or manage animals, or by extension, people or data.

"He spent the summer wrangling cattle on the ranch."

"She spends most of her job wrangling messy spreadsheets into shape."

noun

A long, noisy argument.

"The meeting turned into a wrangle over budget cuts."

How to Use Wrangle

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo argue at length, or to herd/manage something (animals, people, or unruly data).

Common pairings

wrangle over data wrangling cattle wrangler

Word Forms

wrangled past tense, wrangle plural, wrangled plural, wrangles plural, wrangles singular, wrangle singular, wrangled singular, wranglest singular, wrangledst singular, wrangleth singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “wrangle” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The two lawyers _____ over the contract for hours.

Etymology

From Middle English wranglen, related to a Low German word meaning "to struggle or wrestle" — the same root behind "wring."

Rhymes for wrangle

angle tangle mangle bangle dangle jangle triangle untangle strangle rectangle

See all rhymes for wrangle →