wield

verb \ ˈwēld \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: wield in a Sentence

Definition of wield

wielded; wielding; wields

transitive verb

1 chiefly dialectal : to deal successfully with : manage

2 : to handle (something, such as a tool) especially effectively

wield a broom

3 a : to exert one's authority by means of

wield influence

b : to have at one's command or disposal

did not wield appropriate credentials
—G. W. Bonham

—

wielder

noun

See wield defined for English-language learners

See wield defined for kids

Examples of wield in a Sentence

The man was wielding a gun.
Can he wield a hammer?
He wields a great deal of influence over his students.

Recent Examples of wield from the Web

Rather, Hunter says the leopard in the video is more likely getting excited about its meal, and seems to be pulling out the jawbone and wielding it in a ludic manner.

— National Geographic, "Leopard Plays With Prey’s Own Bones," 19 June 2018
Strength and intelligence can be weapons and do not wield them against the weak.

— tyler mccarthy, Fox News, "Chris Pratt shares message of faith during acceptance speech at the MTV Movie and TV awards," 19 June 2018
Strength and intelligence can be weapons, so do not wield them against the weak.

— regan alexander, PEOPLE.com, "Chris Pratt Says 'God Is Real' & Teaches Fans How to 'Poop' in Public at MTV Movie Awards," 18 June 2018
Can’t wait to assassinate every target while wearing a flamingo mascot costume and wielding a half-frozen fish.

— brad chacos, PCWorld, "The best PC games of E3 2018," 15 June 2018
Like any technology, the applications of gene editing tech will be shaped by the values of the societies that wield it.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "Crispr Fans Fight for Egalitarian Access to Gene Editing," 6 June 2018
Fourteen people were injured by a knife-wielding attacker at Lone Star College in Cypress, Texas; a suspect was later sentenced to 48 years in prison.

— cliff pinckard, cleveland.com, "Vehicle drags 2 Cleveland police officers during arrest attempt," 9 Apr. 2018
The new film tells an origin story about how Croft became the invincible, gun-wielding archaeologist.

— steven klein, Vogue, "How Alicia Vikander Transformed Into Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft," 8 Feb. 2018
The conservative Freedom Caucus founder, who wields a lot of power in the House, also tried to sow doubt about the intentions of his accusers, questioning the timing of the report in an interview at an Ohio July 4 event.

— tara golshan, Vox, "Jim Jordan is accused of turning a blind eye to Ohio State sexual abuse. Now he’s attacking the accusers.," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wield.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of wield

Middle English welden to control, from Old English wieldan; akin to Old High German waltan to rule, Latin valēre to be strong, be worth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

wield Synonyms

Synonyms

apply, exercise, exert, ply, put out;

Related Words

employ, use, utilize;

abuse, misapply, misuse;

WIELD Defined for English Language Learners

wield

verb

Definition of wield for English Language Learners

: to hold (something, such as a tool or weapon) in your hands so that you are ready to use it
: to have and use (power, influence, etc.)

WIELD Defined for Kids

wield

verb \ ˈwēld \

Definition of wield for Students

wielded; wielding

1 : to use (as a tool) in an effective way

The knights wielded swords.

2 : ²exercise 1

The banker wields great influence.

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See words that rhyme with wield Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wield Spanish Central: Translation of wield Nglish: Translation of wield for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wield for Arabic speakers

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wield

Definition of wield

wielder

Examples of wield in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wield from the Web

Origin and Etymology of wield

wield Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

WIELD Defined for English Language Learners

wield

Definition of wield for English Language Learners

WIELD Defined for Kids

wield

Definition of wield for Students

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