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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
4
5
as in to grab
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of wrest
Alekseyev reportedly attempted to wrest the weapon away and was shot again in the chest before the attacker fled, the report said.
—
Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
In the past, the Legislature has abolished the city’s community police oversight board and tried to wrest control of its airport.
—Bracey Harris, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
The constitution was thus wrested from the Iranian people and appropriated by a ruling cadre that imposed its own interpretation of Islamic law upon them.
—Ramin Jahanbegloo, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
In 2005, a handful of libertarians attempted, with little success, to wrest control of the government.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
In the past, the Legislature has abolished the city’s community police oversight board and tried to wrest control of its airport.
—Bracey Harris, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
The constitution was thus wrested from the Iranian people and appropriated by a ruling cadre that imposed its own interpretation of Islamic law upon them.
—Ramin Jahanbegloo, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
In 2005, a handful of libertarians attempted, with little success, to wrest control of the government.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
-
Gonzales has denied the affair in the past, and has claimed he is being extorted.—
Fin Daniel Gómez,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
And if love is in the air, do not pick up your smartphone to send a provocative shot to someone that can be later used to embarrass you or extort money from you.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The designation, which Anthropic will fight in court, could become a serious problem for the startup, which earns its revenue through enterprise software sales to companies that might currently or one day want to work with the military in some capacity.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The brake cables are pulled with an electric motor rather than a hand lever.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
-
These paths are designed to pull your car seat as close to the vehicle seat as possible, depending on its orientation.—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Headline-grabbing cases of apparent fraud at companies like Carriox (which allegedly misled its private-credit lenders) and auto lender Tricolor (where banks got hoodwinked) show there’s plenty of blame to go around.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The sophomore guard has grabbed the reins for the Red Raiders in Toppin’s absence and was named the Big 12 Conference’s Player of the Week on Monday.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bamboo extract lipopeptides form a weightless, protective film that helps fortify the hair fiber.—
Michelle Rostamian,
Allure,
27 Feb. 2026
-
These simulations help test how well the algorithms can extract critical details even when the available information is incomplete.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Before that, the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act that passed in January 2025 was already squeezing Social Security, CRFB said.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Video shows the women squeezing through the window and screaming obscenities at the people inside, while tossing food, beverages and packaging.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That percentage was reported by CBS, which obtained an internal DHS document that showed that less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE were charged or convicted of violent criminal offenses.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Allen, who earned a base salary of $325,000 per year, was paid out for the rest of the year and will continue to receive health benefits through June 30, according to her voluntary separation agreement obtained by The Sacramento Bee.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Isabelle slides off Sarah’s lap, flings the towel, pulls on her swimming mask, grabs her mom’s hand and tugs her toward the pool.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
From life’s first moments, multiplying cells are squished, stretched, and tugged to form tissues that bend and twist into organs that expand and contract.—
Clare Watson,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
