Synonyms of wrest

wrest

verb

ˈrest 

1

as in to pry

to draw out by force or with effort

the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pry
• pull
• extract
• yank
• pluck
• uproot
• remove
• prize
• wring
• tear (out)
• take (out)
• withdraw
• root (out)
• corkscrew
• mine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• insert
• instill
• install
• implant
• ram
• stuff
• jam
• cram
• wedge

2

as in to extort

to get (as money) by the use of force or threats

vowed that the bully had wrested his lunch money from him for the last time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• extort
• squeeze
• wring
• coerce
• exact
• force
• compel
• gouge
• milk
• bleed
• skin
• swindle
• cheat
• fleece
• racketeer

3

as in to earn

to get with great difficulty

farmers who were used to wresting a living from the harsh land

Synonyms & Similar Words

• earn
• obtain
• scrounge
• procure
• wring
• acquire
• squeeze
• attain
• eke (out)
• secure
• scrape (up or together)
• gain
• draw
• land

4

as in to pull

to move by or as if by a forceful rotation

I need a strong arm to wrest the lid off this pickle jar

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pull
• tug
• yank
• pluck
• wring
• pry
• remove
• extract
• twist
• wrench
• jerk
• draw
• displace
• lug
• dredge (up)
• budge
• tweak
• disturb
• shift
• dislocate
• transpose
• lever
• transfer
• jimmy

5

as in to grab

to separate or remove by forceful pulling

wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grab
• yank
• tear
• rip
• snatch
• pull
• wrench
• pry
• extract
• seize
• sever
• force
• cut (off)
• snap (up)
• nab
• uproot
• amputate
• prize
• lop (off)
• nip
• dissever
• jerk
• root (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattach

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wrest

In this case, the production company Embassy Pictures wrested control of Crimewave away from Raimi after a challenging shoot, leading the director to disavow the film. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026

French police rounded up thousands of Jews over two days in July 1942, wresting children from their mothers’ arms and dispatching everyone to Nazi death camps. — Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

The Smithsonian Institution, which oversees twenty-one museums, among other establishments, operates independently from the executive branch of the government, which makes wresting control over it more difficult. — News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026

Both the Russian and Chinese governments have been compromising routers for years, sometimes in prolonged tugs-of-war to wrest control of devices the other has already commandeered. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026