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
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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At a slim 76 minutes, Sparks pulls you in tight and never lets go, every frame bursting with teen angst and longing.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
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Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt pulls people in with her signature breezy style and in-tune culinary sensibilities.—
The Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Each bookstore visit earns an entry to win prizes, with no purchase necessary.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
19 Mar. 2026
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Her interview initially goes poorly, but Ferguson immediately takes a liking to her, which earns her a position on the duchess’ staff.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The pacing slackens a little as the complicated process inches forward, but the ending tugs the heartstrings in enormously satisfying ways.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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There are some broadly entertaining yet scattershot series of betrayals, shootouts, car chases (and subsequent crashes), though little that actually raises the pulse or grabs your emotions.—
Chase Hutchinson,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
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San Francisco's new manager grabs a piece of gum from a dugout basket then heads out onto the grass at Scottsdale Stadium and gets to work.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 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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It also gets compressed, which squeezes the air and puts even more pressure on it, which heats it up.—
Zoe Mintz,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
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As the Iran conflict disrupts energy markets and squeezes jet-fuel supplies, there is a concern that airfares could rise in the weeks ahead.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But if Rick later plucks something from behind that rock at the fire, are others going to start poking around looking for stuff?—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
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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
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 23 Mar. 2026.
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