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
Fast forward to 2025 when the total outlays are now north of $7 trillion a year, more than a 360% increase in national spending in the 30 years since term limits were wrested from the American public.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Last August, Howard Stern attempted to wrest news of a Metallica Sphere residency during an interview with Ulrich.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2026
Trotsky hurled items from the desk at Mercader before wresting the ice pick from his grip.
—Josh Ireland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Having wrested himself from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, the great choreographer has sought to remake himself and his work in Denmark.
—Marina Harss, The New York Review of Books, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Last August, Howard Stern attempted to wrest news of a Metallica Sphere residency during an interview with Ulrich.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2026
Trotsky hurled items from the desk at Mercader before wresting the ice pick from his grip.
—Josh Ireland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Having wrested himself from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, the great choreographer has sought to remake himself and his work in Denmark.
—Marina Harss, The New York Review of Books, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
-
In schemes orchestrated with Iza, Coberg arranged a fake drug arrest and stood guard while a victim was extorted.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
-
At least three organizations have been extorted and suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after proprietary information was posted online by IT workers.—
Lisa Cavazuti,
NBC news,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Brownwood slips past Godley Brownwood’s Aiden Jimenez broke a 0-0 tie with the game’s only goal, off an assist from Raven Prado, as the Lions earned a 1-0 win over Godley in a Class 4A Division 2 bi-district match on Friday at Briles Stadium in Stephenville.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Mbiya also earned the praise of Kansas coach Bill Self, who called him KU’s second-best player in the game behind superstar Darryn Peterson.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Investigation details released Three adult men were finishing a shooting session when one man removed a magazine, covered the muzzle with his hand and accidentally pulled the trigger, authorities said.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The strong currents from flash floods can pull drivers off roadways.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
So grab your Kindle or take a trip to the bookstore, because your TBR is about to get a lot longer.—
De Elizabeth,
Glamour,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Gui Santos put up 18 points and four rebounds, and Gary Payton II continued his strong run of play on the offensive side of the ball by scoring 15 and grabbing six rebounds.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Against this backdrop, Cloe Tai, senior manager and head of TV and film at Google, argued that platforms and creators alike must rethink how value is extracted from audiences beyond conventional metrics.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The recycled cotton and polyester are then extracted in batches and spun back into new denim fabric.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The three of us squeezed into our bedroom closet and huddled over my phone.—
Amanda Peet,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Oil prices would continue to soar, while fertilizer, generic drugs, helium and other products dependent on the strait would grow scarce, squeezing the American economy and world economy alike.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Board of Immigration Appeals, a Justice Department agency, ruled against an SIJS recipient who was seeking to reschedule or postpone deportation proceedings because of the potentially lengthy backlog for the immigrant to obtain a green card.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
-
At the governor’s request, the Legislature held off from the additional 1% cut to K-12 public education, including high school career technical education programs, public safety and Idaho’s Medicaid program, read the statement obtained by the Idaho Statesman.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Morning messages tug your focus in new directions.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
November 22 – December 21 Morning messages tug your focus in new directions.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
