WRESTS Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

wrests

verb

present tense third-person singular of wrest

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

as in extorts

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

as in earns

to get with great difficulty farmers who were used to wresting a living from the harsh land

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

as in grabs

to separate or remove by forceful pulling wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattaches

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 wrests If New England somehow wrests the divison away from Buffalo, Vrabel gets serious consideration. — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Like everything else that works here, Brie’s performance wrests the last scraps of freshness from a mode of filmmaking this movie knows is played out, but doesn’t have the particular strength to reinvent. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 June 2026 Here, the director wrests a radioactive joy from observing Godard generate ideas with his ensemble, even as others pull their hair out around him. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrests

Verb

The latter—which perhaps pulls inspiration from the early addiction recovery phrase used to describe the honeymoon period of sobriety—details taking ownership of letting a romantic partner down.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
Food and drink Meals are all-inclusive, communal, and dictated by what the team pulls from the water and garden that morning.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of pulls

Verb

That means if a trade war squeezes household spending, disrupts supply chains or generates ill will among local constituencies, there’s a chance the NHL (and at least 10 clubs) feels the pinch.

— Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026
People’s financial margin for error is generally pretty small, and just the rising cost of most everything just squeezes them more and more.

— Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

The shop earns bonus points for throwing in complimentary doughnut holes which make an ideal midday treat with coffee.

— Lia Picard, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
My experience is that strong outreach earns nearly 25% positive responses, so content and volume matter.

— Pradeep Prasana Kanagaraj, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of earns

Verb

The film cannily tugs on the heartstrings, pulls off classic slapstick comedy and sneaks obscure film references into its visuals.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Just across the state line, Alabama’s DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon are also wonderful for stunning views, hikes and whatever else tugs your trotline.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026

Definition of tugs

Verb

Ryan opens it, grabs a Diet Coke and asks one of his assistants to summon a cup of ice.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Paramount grabs a distribution fee and recovers its marketing and P&A costs from ticket sales before sharing the remaining profits with Miramax.

— Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of grabs

Verb

By fields of cotton and soybeans where his bees forage and pollinate, Foster Hensel pries open the lid of one of his beehives, setting off a rising hum from inside.

— Drew Hawkins, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Remove the 11 Philips-head screws on the bottom of the laptop, and its bottom pries up with a bit of pressure.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of pries

Verb

Bass wrings both roteness and refinement out of examining the road to the altar.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
The intensity of the crowds vary from stop to stop (Czech came ready to rage at Rock for People in June), but Halsey persistently wrings herself out.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrings

Verb

Trump sometimes plucks memes from a sprawling ecosystem of online conservative supporters, and sometimes his government staff produces them as part of their official messaging.

— Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.

— Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026