wrest

1
as in to pry
to draw out by force or with effort the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands

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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

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3
as in to earn
to get with great difficulty farmers who were used to wresting a living from the harsh land

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4
5
as in to grab
to separate or remove by forceful pulling wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet

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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 Christian music star Amy Grant and her cousin, Andy Burton, have successfully wrested control of a valuable downtown church property. Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean, 8 Oct. 2025 Advertisement Embracing—or distancing themselves from—AI might be one way the parties seek to wrest control of this young voting bloc. Nathan E. Sanders, Time, 4 Oct. 2025 Seattle fans can already envision a future where a one-loss Seahawks team wrests control of the division away from Los Angeles in early November, but Tampa Bay has to be the first domino to fall. J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 Trump just days ago said the United States wanted to wrest back control of Bagram Air Base. Ian Swanson, The Hill, 20 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
  • But hiring off-duty cops to intimidate and extort victims, or throw them in jail, represented a significant escalation.
    Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Second, the numbers being shared are incorrect and part of an attempt to extort a payment from Discord.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • With their four nominations, HUNTR/X becomes the first K-pop girl group to earn Grammy nominations, and one of two acts (alongside ROSÉ of Blackpink) to earn nominations in the same year, another first for the genre.
    Stephen Daw, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Brown and Harbour have earned two Emmy noms each, with Harbour and Ryder also garnering Golden Globe nods.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Gold pulls Alté maven Cruel Santino, Nigerian pop star Davido, and Zimbabwean-Australian rapper Tkay Maidza across two songs that embrace the spirit of South African house music.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Tame Impala pulled a few tricks—and fan-favorite treats—out of the vault on Halloween night in Brooklyn.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The woman’s mother then reportedly grabbed Crouch to keep him away from her daughter, causing Crouch to allegedly begin attacking the victim, the affidavit said.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Again, hopefully, Foxx was able to relax a little, grab some rays and just breathe.
    Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The formula blends niacinamide, essential ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and Centella asiatica extract into a base of luxe shea butter to restore and strengthen the lips’ delicate skin.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Here’s How to Tell To extract that DNA, the researchers had to get samples from the paleofeces from the cave.
    Veronique Greenwood, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The polls had him on top for months, and his decision to focus his mayoral campaign on cost-of-living issues proved to be the right one in a city where residents are increasingly squeezed between growing rents and ever costlier public services.
    Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Aid is declining and rising debt is squeezing public budgets.
    Obiageli Ezekwesili, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The list of airports, obtained by ABC News and CBS News, includes Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International and airports in Louisville and Indianapolis.
    Cheryl Vari, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2025
  • On Wednesday, in documents obtained by Rolling Stone, a California superior court judge overseeing the lawsuit ruled in favor of Kardashian and the anti-SLAPP motion, effectively dismissing the other Cantu’s lawsuit, though the judge left open the possibility of an appeal.
    Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • When you’re done, simply pop open the large dustbin and empty debris directly into the trash—no tugging out tangled hair or gunk required.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The idea of moving to America constantly tugs at rising singer-songwriter Larissa Lambert.
    Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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