wrest

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

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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 Already, new leaders in Beirut and Damascus are working to wrest their countries from Iran’s influence over their security and politics. Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2025 However, the Rockets wrested momentum right back from the Warriors with their 109-94 win on Wednesday. Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025 By 1994, Armenian forces had wrested control of Nagorno-Karabakh and some of the adjacent Azerbaijani territories, driving out locals. Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025 The surfer wrested himself free but not without a good bite to his butt. Stacie N. Galang, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
  • Lane then allegedly extorted the companies for ransoms.
    Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 20 May 2025
  • In addition, the hackers even tried to extort Coinbase itself, demanding a $20 million payment from the cryptocurrency company to cover up the incident.
    Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 15 May 2025
Verb
  • Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 29 May 2025
  • Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers.
    Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • Brands began to pull together resources to support refugees.
    Stephan Rabimov, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023
  • The 13-minute performance will likely call for a healthy dose of vibrant, colored lighting to pull it all together.
    Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 10 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • In the morning, the restaurant doubles as a coffee shop where guests can grab drip coffee, fresh juices, and a small selection of hot and cold breakfast options, including the beloved Hawaiian classic, Loco Moco.
    Jalyn Robinson, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2025
  • The colorful bar framed in bright neon lights is on the main concourse, so people walking by can grab a drink and head to the casino or other favorite activity, Allen said.
    Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • This is creating new opportunities to extract and reuse valuable raw materials, lessening Europe’s reliance on external sources.
    Marianne Lehnis, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • Shaped like little green leaves (because why not be cute and moisturized?), these masks are packed with cucumber to de-puff, cactus extract to hydrate, and green tea leaf to calm all the nonsense happening under my eyes.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 27 May 2025
Verb
  • Umberto Rispoli squeezed between horses around the top of the stretch and then rode Journalism to a tremendous rally.
    Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2025
  • Martinez’s son squeezed the trigger five times, shooting Rivera to death and wounding two others, the detective wrote in the affidavit.
    Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • Burroughs has expressed concerns that potential Harvard students abroad have been unable to obtain new visas since last week.
    Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
  • Richard accused his daughter of vandalizing his home in 2000 and of making an unauthorized withdrawal from his bank account in 2003, according to call logs and incident reports obtained by the outlet.
    Emily Blackwood, People.com, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • His story has tugged at the heartstrings of thousands of viewers online, reigniting faith in pet rescue stories.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
  • The viewing party tugged at the heartstrings of their costars, who reacted in the comments section.
    Sophie Dodd, People.com, 6 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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