wrest

Definition of wrestnext
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 But the night’s main draw was the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, the far-right agitator who hopes to wrest a Senate seat away from the incumbent, John Cornyn. Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 20 May 2026 The only way to regain that dignity, according to Uyghurs like Choghtal, was to train to fight and perhaps have the opportunity one day to wrest control of Xinjiang away from the Communist Party. Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026 Beneath its breezy surface, the movie is grappling with these knotted questions of gender, choice, ambition and identity — just like Gabrielle, hurtling through her day, is constantly negotiating competing urges, figuring out how to wrest meaning from her existence. Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026 Trump has also reportedly made attempts to wrest control over the Smithsonian Institution. News Desk, Artforum, 11 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
  • The strong currents from flash floods can pull drivers off roadways.
    KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 14 June 2026
  • The strong currents from flash floods can pull drivers off roadways.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2026
Verb
  • The charges stem from van der Sloot's attempt to extort $250,000 from Beth in 2010 in exchange for leading the family to Natalee's remains.
    Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
  • Davis has countersued for $20 million, alleging Rossel fabricated the claims and attempted to extort him.
    Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 28 May 2026
Verb
  • Take control of your money with CNBC Select CNBC Select is editorially independent and may earn a commission from affiliate partners on links.
    Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 12 June 2026
  • For example, Walmart’s top-performing regional managers can earn up to $620,000 annually; corporate positions are also an option.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Vinicus followed up his stunning early strike with a series of nagging runs, tugging the Panamanians’ back line into awkward shapes.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 1 June 2026
  • Jupiter's moons are in a chain of orbital resonances that could only have formed by the moons tugging gently on each other in passing over a long period of time, and crater records also suggest that Jupiter's moons are very, very old.
    Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • There’s plenty to see and do on this one street—stop by Colonial Park Cemetery, established in 1750; the Juliet Gordon Low Birthplace Museum, honoring the founder of the Girl Scouts; then grab a bite at Marbled & Fin, where luxe appetizers and aged steaks reign supreme.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
  • After Corbin made his introduction to the Islanders as a whole back at the fire pit, Melanie was the first to grab him for a chat.
    Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • This device accomplishes the feat by extracting two distinct, valuable chemical products from the energy of a single photon of light.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 June 2026
  • Quintin said that once MDM is removed from a phone, Verizon probably would not have any other method to extract data from it.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Profits are squeezed because of the RAM crisis and Samsung has responded with price increases and weaker deals.
    Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
  • SpaceX argues that orbital data centers sidestep the land, water and power grid constraints squeezing terrestrial AI.
    Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • The 21-year-old filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to change her name to simply Zahara Marley Jolie, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 10 June 2026
  • The petition states that Nick Reiner still wants Jackson to represent him, and that Jackson is still willing to do so if funds can be obtained.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.

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