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
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
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
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Shoppers are gravitating toward scents that double as emotional rituals, whether that means a warm vanilla, a sweet caramel or a fruit-and-cream gourmand that pulls double duty as a comfort scent.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
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The Ed Sullivan Theater, the crowd is full, the curtain pulls, people are cheering, and David Letterman walks out.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
18 June 2026
Verb
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With electric vehicles continuing to gain share, that further squeezes European carmakers.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
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At one point, the SUV squeezes past a traffic cone while making a left turn and narrowly avoids colliding with a large truck.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Whether La Roja earns another star or comes crashing back down to earth remains to be seen.—
Patrick Sung Cuadrado,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
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The brand that saves time, reduces friction and feels like it was designed for their actual life earns the right to become emotional later.—
Gabriel Alin Zainescu,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
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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
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There’s an elastic tension in the way that a character like Mal wants to confess, wants to share in community, and also wants to disappear, a situation that tugs at her relationships with her friends and with the audience.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The design is what grabs your attention at first sight.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 12,
New Atlas,
12 June 2026
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The goal is to have a welcoming environment that grabs visitors' attention.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
10 June 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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Similarly, the cast wrings some poetry out of the prosaic, often aphoristic dialogue.—
Robert Lloyd,
Houston Chronicle,
1 May 2026
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Barkin, who was dating Levinson at the time of the film’s production, gamely strives to anchor the odd, histrionic film with her performance and wrings real pathos out of Lynn’s brittle and wounded demeanor.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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But the emotional gravity of this offering's deeply personal, melancholic lyrical content plucks an undeniably profound chord that uniquely separates it from the rest of his work.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrests. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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