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

The goal of Syria’s rebel coalition, which has wrested two major cities from government control in just over a week of fighting, is ultimately to overthrow the decades-old Assad regime, the militant leader of the rebels, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, told CNN in an exclusive interview on Thursday. —Eyad Kourdi, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024

Google Chrome is the top of a slippery funnel that users slide down, deeper into the Google ecosystem—which is precisely why, following a landmark antitrust ruling, the United States Department of Justice is trying to wrest Chrome away from the company. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2024

Noun

That does not mean allowing the school to wrest control of the money, Sumpter said. —Jeffrey S. Solochek, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Nov. 2024

There are various plots to overthrow the emperors and either wrest control and put the empire in the hands of a single man or return Rome to its days as a republic. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 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