wrest

1 of 2

verb

ˈrest 

wrested; wresting; wrests

transitive verb

1

: to pull, force, or move by violent wringing or twisting movements

2

: to gain with difficulty by or as if by force, violence, or determined labor

wrest

2 of 2

noun

1

: the action of wresting : wrench

2

archaic : a key or wrench used for turning pins in a stringed instrument (such as a piano)

Synonyms

Verb

• corkscrew
• extract
• prize
• pry
• pull
• root (out)
• tear (out)
• uproot
• wring
• yank

Examples of wrest in a Sentence

Verb

He tried to wrest control of the company from his uncle.

the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Catch up quick: Republicans wrested control of Hillsborough County from Democrats in 2022 and have leveraged that power to torpedo Pride commendations, slash affordable housing programs and more. —Yacob Reyes, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024

While sudden incidents wrest the plot in new directions, the film is driven less by perverse narrative trickery than by the arbitrary cruelty of fate or the volatility of human nature. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024

Noun

That means Democrats would have to wrest control back of at least one chamber to deprive Republicans of their trifecta in the state. —Cooper Burton, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2024

Experts say North Korea uses its rivals’ drills as a pretext to enlarge its nuclear arsenal to wrest concessions when diplomacy resumes. —Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English wrasten, wresten, from Old English wrǣstan; akin to Old Norse reista to bend and probably to Old English wrigian to turn — more at wry

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wrest

verb

ˈrest

1

: to pull, force, or move by violent wringing or twisting movements

2

: to gain by or as if by force or violence

wrest power from the king