as in exerting
to bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively
wields considerable influence in the field of women's sports
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Recent Examples of wielding
Weekend nights, Cleotilde Juárez Ramírez commands this patch of sidewalk, wielding a comal the size of a satellite dish over a brazier.
—
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Tariffs have been central to Trump's economic policy, with the president wielding the levies as a weapon to push for new trade deals.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 8 May 2026
As if on cue, a few dozen children wearing life jackets and wielding fishing rods filled the waterfront behind him, trying their hand at angling, many for the first time, with instructors from the Minnesota DNR showing them the ropes.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
The information was later amended — Elena-Lopez turned out to be wielding only a bicycle lock — but attorneys said Jones didn’t hear those radio broadcasts due to the chaotic nature of the incident.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
If Republicans maintain control of the House, our first priority should be accountability and oversight of this administration through whatever means necessary — leveraging the appropriations process, wielding subpoena power, working with outside partners to file lawsuits and more.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Police responded to calls for help after a man wielding a bike lock attacked two women in the building.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
The quiet family neighborhood is shaken up after Thursday's knife-wielding incident.
—Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Available now, just in time for Star Wars day, this Lego Star Wars Yoda bust shows him in his Clone Wars days, wielding a green lightsaber, ready to kick Separatist bottom.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 3 May 2026
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Tariffs have been central to Trump's economic policy, with the president wielding the levies as a weapon to push for new trade deals.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 8 May 2026
As if on cue, a few dozen children wearing life jackets and wielding fishing rods filled the waterfront behind him, trying their hand at angling, many for the first time, with instructors from the Minnesota DNR showing them the ropes.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
The information was later amended — Elena-Lopez turned out to be wielding only a bicycle lock — but attorneys said Jones didn’t hear those radio broadcasts due to the chaotic nature of the incident.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
If Republicans maintain control of the House, our first priority should be accountability and oversight of this administration through whatever means necessary — leveraging the appropriations process, wielding subpoena power, working with outside partners to file lawsuits and more.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Police responded to calls for help after a man wielding a bike lock attacked two women in the building.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
The quiet family neighborhood is shaken up after Thursday's knife-wielding incident.
—Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Available now, just in time for Star Wars day, this Lego Star Wars Yoda bust shows him in his Clone Wars days, wielding a green lightsaber, ready to kick Separatist bottom.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wielding
Verb
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Industry groups, meanwhile, are quashing proposals for higher taxes or stricter regulation by exerting pressure on lawmakers and cozying up to power players in the worlds of philanthropy, medicine, and science.—
Lev Facher,
STAT,
12 May 2026
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims that the leader is lucid and exerting total control over the country that his office commands.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The rooms Judy likes to give each hotel a personality, but using Poldark as inspiration wouldn’t be nearly quirky enough for the Hutsons.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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The stores will be roughly 20,000 square feet and exclusively accessible to gig workers using the retailer’s Spark delivery driver app to collect orders and bring them to customers.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Some portion of eligible people are probably discouraged from applying at all, believing the lottery system to be rigged or pointless.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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And if the cabinet grandfathers only the HS classes of 2024 and 2025 while applying the new rule to 2026 graduates, an entire cohort gets jammed onto the same clock as players one and two years older—a cliff disguised as a transition.—
Daryl G. Jones,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wielding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wielding. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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