wrest

1 of 2

verb

wrested; wresting; wrests

transitive verb

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

wrest

2 of 2

noun

1
: the action of wresting : wrench
2
archaic : a key or wrench used for turning pins in a stringed instrument (such as a piano)

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
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.
Verb
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is the linchpin of a new aid system that wrested distribution away from aid groups led by the U.N. Arkansas Online, 2 July 2025 To rescue InGen from bankruptcy, Hammond’s nephew — Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard), who wrested control of the company away from his uncle after the park debacle — wants to exploit the dinosaurs. Will Harris, EW.com, 27 June 2025
Noun
Agency leaders under Kennedy have made other unprecedented moves in recent months to wrest control over the nation's vaccines process. Nicole Brown Chau, CBS News, 3 July 2025 The decision to withhold education funding is one of a number of efforts to wrest spending power from Congress, and recent reporting suggests the administration is considering ways to step up its attack and challenge restrictions on impoundment more broadly. Cameron Peters, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 See All Example Sentences for wrest

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English wrasten, wresten, from Old English wrǣstan; akin to Old Norse reista to bend and probably to Old English wrigian to turn — more at wry

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrest was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrest. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

wrest

verb
ˈrest
1
: to pull, force, or move by violent wringing or twisting movements
2
: to gain by or as if by force or violence
wrest power from the king

More from Merriam-Webster on wrest

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