1
as in to pry
to draw out by force or with effort
the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
4
5
as in to grab
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wrest
Control was wrested back towards the end of the period, a sign of better things to come, even if that profligacy that has dogged them so much reared once again in stoppage time at the end of the half.
—
Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
But the night’s main draw was the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, the far-right agitator who hopes to wrest a Senate seat away from the incumbent, John Cornyn.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
The only way to regain that dignity, according to Uyghurs like Choghtal, was to train to fight and perhaps have the opportunity one day to wrest control of Xinjiang away from the Communist Party.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
Beneath its breezy surface, the movie is grappling with these knotted questions of gender, choice, ambition and identity — just like Gabrielle, hurtling through her day, is constantly negotiating competing urges, figuring out how to wrest meaning from her existence.
—Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
But the night’s main draw was the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, the far-right agitator who hopes to wrest a Senate seat away from the incumbent, John Cornyn.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
The only way to regain that dignity, according to Uyghurs like Choghtal, was to train to fight and perhaps have the opportunity one day to wrest control of Xinjiang away from the Communist Party.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
Beneath its breezy surface, the movie is grappling with these knotted questions of gender, choice, ambition and identity — just like Gabrielle, hurtling through her day, is constantly negotiating competing urges, figuring out how to wrest meaning from her existence.
—Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
-
The strong currents from flash floods can pull drivers off roadways.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2026
-
The strong currents from flash floods can pull drivers off roadways.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Antoine Larry, a former patrol officer in south suburban Phoenix, was accused of conspiring with another officer to extort suspects for cash and drugs during traffic stops.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
Richards attained fame as a pioneering male supermodel in major ad campaigns by the likes of Bruce Weber, Richard Avedon, and Helmut Newton, but all along he was being extorted and exploited by Mierers and his followers to bolster (and bankroll) their shaky, pseudoscientific philosophy.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The Seleção victory eliminates Haiti from knockout play and gives coach Carlo Ancelotti a bit of breathing room after his draw to open the tournament earned him criticism.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
-
The agreement outlines a 60-day ceasefire period; the strait could potentially close up again after that, or logistical concerns could arise if Tehran demands to earn traffic fees.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
His young daughter tugged at him.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
When all of the useful parts have been claimed from a corpse, industrial scavengers tug the remains to a cement pad, where excavators tear the vessel into bits of metal, Petty explained.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Grant asks Chris about the boxing gloves now for sale in the night store, but Katie forestalls him by running over and grabbing them, nearly flattening Chris.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
Demonstrators grabbed bricks from the ground to throw at police, as tear gas was deployed in Geneva's streets, witnesses told Reuters.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The ability to extract consumer insights, test prototypes, and craft compelling product narratives must be embedded across teams, according to Kemkers.—
Sally Percy,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
The agreement appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.—
Seung Min Kim,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Profits are squeezed because of the RAM crisis and Samsung has responded with price increases and weaker deals.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
SpaceX argues that orbital data centers sidestep the land, water and power grid constraints squeezing terrestrial AI.—
Chris Stokel-Walker,
Scientific American,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Griffin filed a federal defamation lawsuit in Nevada on Monday, June 15, saying her middle school classmate Joleene Altum made false allegations against Griffin, according to documents obtained obtained by USA TODAY.—
Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
According to investigators, the group's drone builder proposed targeting a military-industrial facility to obtain the necessary explosive materials.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
