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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wrested
That was when microbes wrested energy from light and, in the process, breathed new life into the world.
—
Quanta Magazine, 10 June 2026
Control was wrested back towards the end of the period, a sign of better things to come, even if that profligacy that has dogged them so much reared once again in stoppage time at the end of the half.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
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
Quanta Magazine, 10 June 2026
Control was wrested back towards the end of the period, a sign of better things to come, even if that profligacy that has dogged them so much reared once again in stoppage time at the end of the half.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrested
Verb
-
When peacemakers finally pried apart Slaughter and Dropo, Slaughter had his jersey ripped, but Dropo had taken the more telling punches.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
-
On May 5, three people dressed in waterproof hip waders and other protective gear pried open a maintenance hole cover and descended into the sewer on a street in Queens.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
But Ancel Glink representatives said Odelson, Murphey, Frazier and McGrath overstepped by petitioning to represent Calumet City in both a labor dispute and a lawsuit where a former employee claims Jones extorted him and wrongfully terminated his employment.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
-
The court found that the girl’s mother extorted thousands of dollars from Franco.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Smith played a key role in the 49ers’ dominant defense in the early 2010s under head coach Jim Harbaugh, which earned San Francisco an NFC championship and appearance in Super Bowl XLVII, which the 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens.—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
14 June 2026
-
Research from a social-commerce platform found that the top 10% of digital creators earned more than $53,715 each during a three-month period alone.—
ByBryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
In a lot of cases, Earth’s gravity probably captured these objects and pulled them in, adding them to its growing bulk.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Space.com,
17 June 2026
-
The Telegraph reports that the artist pulled a Russian flag from his pants and threw it in a trash can.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Cameron Brink added 15 points off the bench and Dearica Hamby grabbed 10 rebounds for the Sparks (6-6) in the Commissioner’s Cup game.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
Cameron Brink added 15 points off the bench, Erica Wheeler scored 10 and Dearica Hamby grabbed 10 rebounds for the Sparks (6-6) in the Commissioner’s Cup game.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Still, the crisis was remarkable in that, despite the 1-billion-plus barrels yanked from the market since February, US and European benchmark crude prices didn’t top the spike following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
-
The announced attendance was a capacity 80,663, which is a little under 2,000 less than full capacity for the Giants and Jets as seats had to be yanked out down low to fit the regulation soccer field into MetLife Stadium.—
Andy Clayton,
New York Daily News,
14 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,
11 June 2026
-
As the fans beyond it jumped to their feet with their hands raised, Reynolds reached over and squeezed his glove shut around what would have been the go-ahead home run.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 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 Jun. 2026.
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