wrangling

Wrangling is the act of engaging in a dispute or argument, or more broadly, the process of handling or managing something. As a verb, to wrangle means to argue or contend, often in a prolonged or noisy way. As a noun, a wrangle is a lengthy disagreement. The term also appears in contexts where people are sorting, organizing, or directing something, such as animals or tasks.

In data science and information management, data wrangling (also called data munging or data cleaning) refers to transforming raw data into a usable form for analysis. Tasks typically include cleaning errors, dealing with missing values, standardizing formats, reconciling inconsistencies across sources, integrating data from multiple systems, and reshaping data structures. Analysts and engineers use programming languages like Python or R, plus libraries such as pandas or dplyr, as well as SQL and workflow tools, to automate wrangling steps.

Outside technical usage, wrangling describes negotiations or maneuvering to secure an outcome, such as policy wrangling or budget wrangling. In rural contexts, a wrangler is a person who tends to livestock, rounds up and guides animals, especially in ranching or rodeo settings. The term can be used metaphorically to describe teams resolving disagreements or aligning interests.