1
as in pulls
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 tugs
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 grabs
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 wrests
Seattle fans can already envision a future where a one-loss Seahawks team wrests control of the division away from Los Angeles in early November, but Tampa Bay has to be the first domino to fall.
—
J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrests
Verb
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Within minutes, the driver pulls back onto the road to haul the feed to an Algoma dairy farm, where livestock will eat it.—
Miranda Dunlap,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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Unlacquered brass pulls will also bring out the richness in light ochre, and a lightly veined marble or creamy quartz will add softness, keeping the entire palette feeling expansive.—
Tessa Cooper,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Indy commands the screen and earns his spot as a leader of the 2025 spooky season.—
Benjamin VanHoose,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
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The Toyota Sienna achieves 36 miles per gallon Toyota's Sienna standard hybrid minivan earns 36 miles per gallon in the city and 36 miles per gallon on the highway.—
Charles Singh,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Graff tugs the reader from the earliest experiments in radiation to the young pilots who made an ashy hole of Nagasaki.—
Book Marks
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
It’s been over 50 years since viewers first set foot in Walnut Grove, but NBC’s Little House on the Prairie still tugs at our heartstrings today.—
Kelly Martinez,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When virtual particle pairs pop into existence at the edge of black holes, sometimes the black hole’s gravity grabs one partner while the other escapes.—
Dipangkar Dutta,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
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When Catalina goes into the kitchen to refill her calabash, Frances grabs the box of Thompson paperbacks and makes a run for Ray at the restaurant.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The show’s biggest laugh may come when Testa pries open Costanzo’s mouth and pronounces just how many performances of Norma Galas has left.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This liner then rapidly squeezes a magnetized target, creating the intense heat and pressure needed for fusion to occur, the same process that powers the sun.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Sep. 2025
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Keeping tires properly inflated not only extends their life but also squeezes more miles out of every charge—a win for the wallet and the planet.—
Melanie Marshall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There may be even greater reasons to put an ad that plucks the heartstrings in front of a broader crowd.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In each Whatever After novel, a magic portal yanks the main character, Abby, out of her comfortable life and thrusts her into another reality.—
Sarah Mlynowski,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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Thing rebels against his master and yanks out his clockwork heart.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrests. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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