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to wrangle

to wrangle

1 7.0
To clean and arrange messy data so it is ready to use
  • verb
  • /ˈræŋɡl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : depurar datos
  • Not directly by writing essays (ugh) or recommendation letters, but I helped wrangle the new system that sent everything electronically. I created a good-looking PDF version of the kids' transcripts on my own when the computer people refused to help. It just made me feel competent and useful.

Examples

  • XFCE can be wrangled into 90% of what GNOME2 provided; maybe it will be able to do it out of the box soon.

    Blog text (5)
  • If all those levels of data mining and technology fail, you're handed a provisional ballot and must wrangle through the mess associated with it.

    Blog text (9)
  • You can really wrangle the writing muses here.

    Blog text (4)
  • Investment firms will wrangle with the challenge of tying their models to a better understanding of market behaviors.

    Academic text (2009)
  • In order to wrangle the numbers, here’s what we had to figure out:

    Blog text (13)
  • So when NetSuite by Oracle helped us wrangle our revenue, inventory, expenses, and more into one place, it was a game changer.

  • I've been wrangling with the AVRISPmkii and Atmel Studio for several days.

    Blog text (28)
  • For me, the time it would take to attempt to wrangle my messy, disheveled self into a state of put-togetherness would mean I'd have to sacrifice other things.

    Blog text (14)
  • Journalists like NPR's Andy Carvin use Twitter to wrangle real-time reports from everyday citizens on the ground in hostile areas.

    Blog text (19)
  • To prepare the dataset for analysis, we need to wrangle the raw numbers into a more usable format.

Synonyms

to defreak
vsto wrangle
  • Neologism
9.9

To tidy a messy place and put things in order

works specifically on raw data cleaning and combining it for analysis
to unwrinkle
vsto wrangle
6.3

To make a plan simpler by removing problems

focuses on preparing raw data for analysis rather than simplifying plans

Idioms

To negotiate strongly to get a better price or better terms

Phrasal Verbs

To get money by asking people and working hard

How Ready

to curate
26 4.7
to integrate
179 4.1
to wrangle
  • Specialized
1 7.0
to transform
  • Specialized
7 5.6
to collect
499 1.1

Surface Forms

wrangle infinitive
wrangled past
wrangled past participle
wrangling present participle
wrangles third person singular

Etymology

Wrangle in data work is a modern use you can remember with an image: think of a cowboy taming wild horses — you 'handle', clean, and sort messy data into order, so the job is called 'wrangling'.