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

Two of the 3-pointers by Warner came early in the third quarter as Batavia finally wrested control. —Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025

And of course, backing out of a decades-old deal and trying to wrest the canal back by force from an ally would be a propaganda goldmine for Russia and China which have both called for maintaining neutrality in the canal. —Patrick Oppmann, CNN, 31 Jan. 2025

Noun

Current efforts by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to wrest management of the wolf from the federal government may succeed. —Al Wolter, Outdoor Life, 10 Jan. 2025

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes injured his ankle Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, possibly giving the Bills a shot to make up their two-game deficit in the standings and wrest away the AFC’s top seed. —Tim Graham, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 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