1
as in pried
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
as in pulled
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
5
as in grabbed
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 wrested
Because with a dominant 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday in Game 2 of a best-of-seven playoff series, the Ducks evened the series at a win apiece and wrested home-ice advantage away from the division champions.
—
Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Women are wrested from their seats and don’t return.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
OpenAI briefly considered plans to transition into a for-profit company in 2024, which would have wrested control from the nonprofit and kept it as a separate arm.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
Feinberg had wrested some decision making on shipbuilding away from Phelan, according to two officials familiar with the matter.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
Democrats wrested control of the Legislature from Republicans in 1954, the year Ariyoshi won the first of two terms in the Territorial House of Representatives.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Eventually, David Ellison’s Paramount wrested WBD out of Netflix’s hands.
—Robertas Bakula, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2026
And in that quest for unbridled growth, the AI industry has wrested ungodly amounts of capital from investors all looking for the next big thing, ensnaring the entire economy.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Prasad and top drug regulator Tracy Beth Høeg have wrested control of vaccine surveillance from career staff.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Women are wrested from their seats and don’t return.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
OpenAI briefly considered plans to transition into a for-profit company in 2024, which would have wrested control from the nonprofit and kept it as a separate arm.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
Feinberg had wrested some decision making on shipbuilding away from Phelan, according to two officials familiar with the matter.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
Democrats wrested control of the Legislature from Republicans in 1954, the year Ariyoshi won the first of two terms in the Territorial House of Representatives.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Eventually, David Ellison’s Paramount wrested WBD out of Netflix’s hands.
—Robertas Bakula, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2026
And in that quest for unbridled growth, the AI industry has wrested ungodly amounts of capital from investors all looking for the next big thing, ensnaring the entire economy.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Prasad and top drug regulator Tracy Beth Høeg have wrested control of vaccine surveillance from career staff.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrested
Verb
-
But the best dishes attest to careful technique, like the lovingly fluffy housemade paneer that somehow melts and crumbles at once, and biryani under a lid sealed with a strip of dough, pried off with a knife at your table.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
In what was billed an organizational coup, the Braves pried Chuck Tanner from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cox from the Jays.—
Mark Bradley for the AJC,
AJC.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
To dispose of his body, the group allegedly used a familiar method, placing it in a crematorium furnace in a local funeral home whose owner was being extorted by another Hells Angels member.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Kraken, one of the world’s oldest crypto exchanges, said it’s being extorted by a criminal group that claims to have access to some client account information.—
Olga Kharif,
Bloomberg,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Only two were earned, but they were all deserved after Rodón fell apart in the third frame.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2026
-
The Packers won their fourth Super Bowl, and Rodgers earned two of his four MVPs with McCarthy calling the plays.—
Will Graves,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The dogs, including newborn puppies, were pulled to safety by the Brandywine Valley SPCA rescue team.—
Kerri Corrado,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
The war pulled the Bureau away from these efforts, but once peace returned, Kline and his scientists had gone back to work.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Young grabbed onto Elijah’s hair to try to hang onto the moment.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
Becerra blunder The first ad that grabbed my attention was a quick-turn by San José Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan (still stuck in single-digit polling numbers), who jumped on Xavier Becerra’s first major mess-up.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The two police officers who responded found a short, stocky man in the backyard and an aluminum shed with its door yanked off.—
Dan Barry,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
-
During the scuffle, the victim’s gold chain was yanked from his neck.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Dwight reached out and squeezed my upper arm, pulling me into a bear hug, smashing my face against the rough canvas of his jacket, his gloved hand on my ass pulling me closer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Patrick Mahomes’ torn right ACL and LCL prevented a late-season surge that might have squeezed KC into the postseason and another fateful meeting.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Henley wrenched away from her mother's grip, turned, and darted up the stairs again, leaving Emily and Kate in startled silence.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
-
As the plane twisted upward, the air pressure wrenched off another tail fin.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrested. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
