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
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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
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Recent Examples of wrested
In 2024, OpenAI announced plans to convert into a for-profit company, which would have wrested control from the nonprofit and kept it as a separate arm.
—
Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2026
At her funeral, mourners wrested her casket from the official pallbearers and carried it aloft through the streets of Cairo, to her burial place.
—Sam Kashner, Air Mail, 27 Dec. 2025
Gary Neal and his partners wrested control of Windwave from its nonprofit parent and sold it to themselves, hiding insider knowledge of lucrative deals with Amazon to keep the price low.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Hamas wrested power from the more secular and internationally recognized Fatah party in 2007 after winning legislative elections the previous year.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2025
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
No existing rival has wrested market share from Google.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 2 Sep. 2025
In 1968, Palestinians resurrected an independence movement that wrested decision making away from Egypt and other Arab countries that had been humiliated in the Six-Day War.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
But still, the record is a spiritual victory, full of wisdom wrested from audible pain.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2026
At her funeral, mourners wrested her casket from the official pallbearers and carried it aloft through the streets of Cairo, to her burial place.
—Sam Kashner, Air Mail, 27 Dec. 2025
Gary Neal and his partners wrested control of Windwave from its nonprofit parent and sold it to themselves, hiding insider knowledge of lucrative deals with Amazon to keep the price low.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Hamas wrested power from the more secular and internationally recognized Fatah party in 2007 after winning legislative elections the previous year.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2025
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
No existing rival has wrested market share from Google.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 2 Sep. 2025
In 1968, Palestinians resurrected an independence movement that wrested decision making away from Egypt and other Arab countries that had been humiliated in the Six-Day War.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
But still, the record is a spiritual victory, full of wisdom wrested from audible pain.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrested
Verb
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The officers and two bystanders pried open the truck’s door and pulled the driver to safety, the agency said.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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And almost every president has understood, in one way or another, that America cannot be pried apart from its ideals and remain America.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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According to the indictment, the two defendants engaged in a racketeering conspiracy, committed multiple murders, engaged in drug distribution and extorted victims.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
An Orange County Civil Court wants Thompson to fill out an information sheet about his personal finances after last December’s $60,150 judgment in a lawsuit filed by Scott Meyer, who was extorted by Thompson’s Moving Giants.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Snow is also coming off of a performance in Netflix's The Beast in Me, which earned a Golden Globes nod in the Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television category, as well as two other nominations for performances by leads Matthew Rhys and Claire Danes.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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On the television side, popular shows like The Pitt, and The Studio won big at the Golden Globes, with Noah Wyle winning for his dramatic performance in the medical series, while Seth Rogen earned a Globe for his work in the streaming comedy.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Then, a crisis involving a family friend named Evelyn Chang pulled him back into action.—
Ernestine Siu,
CNBC,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Mini Kim and mini Khloé pulled a switcheroo with their T-shirts — a favorite pastime of theirs, according to Khloé, who posted this adorable pic.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jazzy Davidson scored all of her 12 points in the first quarter on a poor shooting night (5 for 23 from the field), grabbed five boards and dished out five assists.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
16 Jan. 2026
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Towns scored 17 and grabbed 20 rebounds for New York, while Mikal Bridges scored 21 and OG Anunoby scored 25.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Officer Alex Millan then yanked open the passenger door of the suspects’ car; at the same time, the car drove forward over the curb.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Furious too that anyone could think the defender had deliberately yanked the striker’s hair.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At one point, the fear that squeezed my stomach tighter and tighter gave way to stupefaction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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Even if those increases eventually unwind, the impact will fall on households that have already been squeezed for decades, and many households are no longer assuming prices will fall back—they’ve been burned too often.—
Gene Ludwig,
Fortune,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a moment when even humanitarian work around these regions can be wrenched by bad-faith political agendas, Mustafa’s framing of the purpose of Saturday’s show was savvy and measured.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
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And Ahmed al-Ahmed, who came to Australia from Syria in 2006, a former policeman who now owns a fruit stand at Bondi Beach, tackled one of the gunmen and wrenched the rifle from him, even as he was wounded himself.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
20 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrested. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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