wrested; wresting; wrests
1
: to pull, force, or move by violent wringing or twisting movements
2
: to gain with difficulty by or as if by force, violence, or determined labor
Examples of wrest in a Sentence
Verb
He tried to wrest control of the company from his uncle.
the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands
Recent Examples on the Web
Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
At her funeral, mourners wrested her casket from the official pallbearers and carried it aloft through the streets of Cairo, to her burial place.
—Sam Kashner, Air Mail, 27 Dec. 2025
Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Real estate experts told ProPublica that, in its bid to wrest control of the historically independent Fed and go after political enemies, the Trump administration has mischaracterized mortgage rules.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wrest
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Verb
To correct this imbalance, Americans will likely need to reach for the birch rod once more and wrest back control of the power sector.
—Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
At her funeral, mourners wrested her casket from the official pallbearers and carried it aloft through the streets of Cairo, to her burial place.
—Sam Kashner, Air Mail, 27 Dec. 2025
Noun
On Saturday, Trump announced 10% tariffs on eight European countries that don’t support his efforts to wrest control of Greenland from Denmark.
—Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Real estate experts told ProPublica that, in its bid to wrest control of the historically independent Fed and go after political enemies, the Trump administration has mischaracterized mortgage rules.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Cite this Entry
“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrest. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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