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
Relevance
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
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
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
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One of the most effective ways to make a kitchen feel custom is to replace standard, generic cabinet pulls with high-quality hardware.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
27 Feb. 2026
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We’re reminded of all this in a great scene when Ellis, who has just been deposed, pulls Mel aside.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The designation, which Anthropic will fight in court, could become a serious problem for the startup, which earns its revenue through enterprise software sales to companies that might currently or one day want to work with the military in some capacity.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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The winner of this matchup earns the seventh playoff seed.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Isabelle slides off Sarah’s lap, flings the towel, pulls on her swimming mask, grabs her mom’s hand and tugs her toward the pool.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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Riley tugs the false eyelashes off.—
Alex Ross,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Enraged, John grabs the ring from Carolyn’s finger.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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Billie jumps from the second floor, injuring her foot, but Chee grabs her.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There are swooping close encounters with heavenly bodies, Lego blocks in antigravity mode and swarms of Separators, a sort of astro-anthropomorphic version of the tool that pries apart Lego bricks in real life.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
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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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Drew Angerer / Getty Images file For months, school officials have floated proposals to relocate or close at least four middle schools on the Upper West Side, citing low enrollment, funding squeezes, academic performance and compliance with a 2022 law requiring class-size reductions by 2028.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
1 Mar. 2026
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While most bullion coins track spot closely, certain products remain in higher demand during supply squeezes or retail rushes.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The first layer, called the Level-1 Trigger, or L1T, harvests 100,000 events per second, and the second layer, called the High-Level Trigger, or HLT, plucks 1,000 of those events to save for later analysis.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Feb. 2026
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From the metallic sheen of a beetle to the delicacy of a butterfly, Sandini described how Materia Futura plucks inspiration straight from nature.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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According to the footage, Falcinelli then moves toward the officer before the officer yanks him by the arm.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
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Judy yanks Mikey’s roller trunk out of the mud and leads him toward one of the nearby hiking trails.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
26 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrests. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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