as in twisting
a forceful rotating or pulling motion for the purpose of dislodging something
no amount of wresting could loosen the rusted bolt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in pulling
to draw out by force or with effort
the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in extorting
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in earning
to get with great difficulty
farmers who were used to wresting a living from the harsh land
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in yanking
to move by or as if by a forceful rotation
I need a strong arm to wrest the lid off this pickle jar
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5
as in grabbing
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 wresting
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
In pitching his services, Prince discussed wresting control of gangs to allow major highways to reopen.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wresting
Verb
-
All major indexes dipped slightly Tuesday, with tech shares such as Nvidia and Microsoft pulling back.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Good Times Oakland is pulling from a deep well of retail bottles, and has a bar for the public to sip and sup.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Google also stated that ShinyHunters commonly uses an attack tactic of extorting victims using emails or telephone calls demanding bitcoin ransom payments within 72 hours of compromise.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
9 Aug. 2025
-
He was charged in May 2024 with extorting contractors on school construction projects and then accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from those companies.—
Andrew Brown,
Hartford Courant,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Notably, that was considerably more than his boss was earning as a House member, $174,000.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The craft seller at a roadside market is earning her independence.—
Daniel Scheffler,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Within seconds, officers in full riot gear surged forward in formation, yanking open the doors and pulling the passenger to safety.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
-
But some lawmakers say that argument is baseless and that yanking the grants has left the state less equipped to prevent tragedies like this week’s attack at Annunciation Catholic School.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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After grabbing an early lead Friday evening, the Royals were unable to match their hosts’ prolific offense on Friday.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The owner squeezed her hands into the mix of kittens, moving the babies and grabbing the one that did not belong, which turned out to be a tiny mouse.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The tug-and-pull over GOP members’ demands for more documents and testimony comes as lawmakers juggle the appropriations process and face an end-of-month deadline to fund the government.—
Elizabeth Crisp,
The Hill,
3 Sep. 2025
-
When the state attorney’s office steps in, the prosecution pushes back, resulting in a legal and political tug of war that thrusts Adnan’s case into chaotic uncertainty.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This is about creating a childhood away from prying eyes, giving his children the space and support to enjoy being children without a care in the world.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
But such players tend to make these adjustments in the course of many weeks, on private practice courts in Delray or Monaco or Abu Dhabi, far from TV cameras and prying journalists.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
That could be due to tariffs squeezing automakers, disincentivizing them from giving discounts.—
Senior Reporter,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
-
This could be done by either squeezing the regular season even tighter with more midweek fixtures or putting the Wembley final back a week.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wresting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wresting. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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