wrest

verb

ˈrest How to pronounce wrest (audio)
Definition of wrestnext
1
as in to pry
to draw out by force or with effort the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to extort
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

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3
as in to earn
to get with great difficulty farmers who were used to wresting a living from the harsh land

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4
as in to pull
to move by or as if by a forceful rotation I need a strong arm to wrest the lid off this pickle jar

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5
as in to grab
to separate or remove by forceful pulling wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 wrest If New England somehow wrests the divison away from Buffalo, Vrabel gets serious consideration. — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 North Carolina lawmakers attempted to wrest control of the facility from Charlotte last decade due to concerns of meddling by the city. — Dj Simmons july 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026 In this case, the production company Embassy Pictures wrested control of Crimewave away from Raimi after a challenging shoot, leading the director to disavow the film. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026 The Smithsonian Institution, which oversees twenty-one museums, among other establishments, operates independently from the executive branch of the government, which makes wresting control over it more difficult. — News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
  1. pull
  2. extort
  3. earn
  4. tug
  5. grab
  6. extract
  7. squeeze
  8. obtain
Verb
  • The Moon enters Sagittarius and your 4th House of Home, Family, and Emotional Roots, pulling your focus toward rest, privacy, space, or household needs.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026
  • With a steam engine, the boat pulled heavy cargo between Budapest and other towns along the Danube.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of pull
Verb
  • In his report, Prescott said there is evidence substantiating the claim that Rodriguez-Mendez was extorting Guaranda.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Dowen also admitted to using threats and violence against a victim and their family to extort the victim for millions of dollars and a drug-manufacturing recipe.
    — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of extort
Verb
  • Buffalo’s synthetic turf earned an F grade from Bills players in the NFLPA’s annual report card last year.
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Backstage, Tommaso Ciampa says this year’s Casino Gauntlet has the biggest stakes since the winner earns a chance at the AEW World Championship.
    — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of earn
Verb
  • Teams earned points by winning weekly head-to-head battles – tugging a sled across the field the fastest, surviving a heated game of dodgeball – and by simply doing the right thing.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of tug
Verb
  • After grabbing an early 83-81 lead in overtime, the Dream gave up eight straight points to the Fever, who never lost the lead in overtime again, although the Dream got within two points, 93-91, with 10 seconds left.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The little breaths, the cloth grabs and punches were all deliberate.
    — Simon Thompson, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of grab
Verb
  • However, measures in place to limit the spread, such as regular handwashing and social distancing, are not followed at the artisanal mining sites, where work to extract gold is done by workers using basic hand tools like shovels and pans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Hoffman was born in Brooklyn, one of 10 children in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, and raised in Montreal after her Canadian mother extracted the family.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of extract
Verb
  • Questions no longer centre on marking this era with a trophy, but on how much juice is left to squeeze.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • To protect a specific area, such as a garden, Parker recommends properly installing snake fencing made from quarter-inch hardware cloth, which can help keep even newborn copperheads from squeezing through.
    — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • Authorities said tens of millions of additional dollars were solicited before the SEC obtained a temporary restraining order against Drive Planning in August 2024.
    — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • After obtaining racino approval from the Illinois Gaming Board in the summer of 2020, many in the racing community suggested that Carey put up a temporary facility as the Waukegan licensee, Bally’s in Chicago and others have done.
    — Neil Milbert, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of obtain

Browse Nearby Words

wrenching
wrest
wrested
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Cite this Entry

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of wrest for Spanish Speakers

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