wield

verb

ˈwēld 

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

Synonyms

• exert
• use
• apply

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 on the Web

The agency also wields absolute approval power for logging on California’s vast private lands. —John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025

But upon the death of Ian Faith, Tap’s posh-sounding, cricket-bat-wielding manager, his daughter, Hope (Kerry Godliman), inherits from him a contract for one last Spinal Tap show. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025

The institutions of the new democracy were fragile, and the military still wielded enough influence to block meaningful accountability. —Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025

And at Evergreen High School in Colorado, two students were wounded by a classmate wielding a handgun, who then fatally shot himself. —John Feinblatt, Time, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wield

• heald
• healed
• heeled
• keeled
• kneeled
• pealed
• peeled
• reeled
• sealed
• shield
• squealed
• steeled

Kids Definition

wield

verb

ˈwē(ə)ld 

1

: to put (as a tool) to good use

wield a broom

2

: to use one's authority by means of

wield influence

wielder noun