lucha
/ˈlut͡ʃa/feminine
The Spanish word for wrestling is lucha.
lucha refers to the sport of wrestling. It can also be used as a generic word for a fight or a struggle.
Meaning: sport (verb)
Which one should you use?
While lucha is the general term for the sport, more specific terms exist depending on the style, such as lucha greco-romana for classical or Olympic-style wrestling and lucha olímpica for Olympic-style wrestling.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term Lucha libre is used mainly in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries that are influenced by Mexican culture.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word lucha is a feminine noun. If you want to refer to a person who wrestles, you can use the masculine noun luchador for a wrestler or the feminine noun luchadora for a female wrestler.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈlutʃa/
Did you know?
- The English word 'ineluctable', meaning unavoidable, shares the same Latin root as lucha. It literally describes something that cannot be wrestled out of.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, a 'luchador' is not just an athlete but a stylized performer wearing a mask as part of the 'Lucha libre' tradition.
- While lucha is the sport of wrestling, the phrase lucha de clases is used to describe 'class struggle' in political and sociological contexts.
Examples in context
- Tu hermana disfruta el ver luchas de sumo en la TV.Your sister enjoys watching sumo wrestling on TV.This sentence shows how to use lucha when talking about sumo wrestling on TV.Tatoeba #679786 by humbertovs, translation #17118 by CK
- La lucha era el deporte organizado más popular en la antigua Grecia.Wrestling was the most popular organized sport in Ancient Greece.This sentence uses lucha to describe wrestling as an organized sport in ancient history.Tatoeba #10027844 by manufrutos, translation #6297953 by Hybrid
- Tom le dijo a María que él no era el capitán del equipo de lucha libre.Tom told Mary that he wasn't the captain of the wrestling team.This sentence uses lucha within the phrase lucha libre to refer to a wrestling team.Tatoeba #3113404 by marcelostockle, translation #2421160 by CK
- Me gusta ver la lucha libre los fines de semana.I enjoy watching wrestling on the weekends.
- Mi hermano practica lucha greco-romana en el club de lucha local.My brother practices greco-roman wrestling at the local wrestling club.
- Clara sueña con representar a su país en la lucha olímpica.Clara dreams of representing her country in Olympic wrestling.
- ¿Vamos a ver la lucha esta noche?Are we going to watch the wrestling tonight?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about their favorite sports.
- DanielLucía, ¿alguna vez has practicado la lucha?Lucía, have you ever practiced wrestling?
- LucíaNo, Daniel, pero me gusta ver la lucha.No, Daniel, but I like watching wrestling.
- DanielEs un deporte muy exigente y divertido.It is a very demanding and fun sport.
- LucíaTienes razón, requiere mucha fuerza física.You are right, it requires a lot of physical strength.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wrestling” translations and entries lucha, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lucha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
