1
as in to pry
to draw out by force or with effort
the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
4
5
as in to grab
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Prasad and top drug regulator Tracy Beth Høeg have wrested control of vaccine surveillance from career staff.
—
Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
In 2012, Manbij became one of the first Syrian cities to wrest itself from the tyranny of the dictator Bashar al-Assad.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
Fast forward to 2025 when the total outlays are now north of $7 trillion a year, more than a 360% increase in national spending in the 30 years since term limits were wrested from the American public.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Last August, Howard Stern attempted to wrest news of a Metallica Sphere residency during an interview with Ulrich.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
In 2012, Manbij became one of the first Syrian cities to wrest itself from the tyranny of the dictator Bashar al-Assad.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
Fast forward to 2025 when the total outlays are now north of $7 trillion a year, more than a 360% increase in national spending in the 30 years since term limits were wrested from the American public.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Last August, Howard Stern attempted to wrest news of a Metallica Sphere residency during an interview with Ulrich.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
-
The hackers behind the botnets then sold access to cybercriminals, resulting in hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks that could also try to extort victims.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
-
In schemes orchestrated with Iza, Coberg arranged a fake drug arrest and stood guard while a victim was extorted.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Framber Valdez allowed two runs, one earned, and seven hits in six innings while striking out five and walking one in his Tigers debut.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Fairbanks, Miami’s marquee free agent signing this offseason, earned his first save of the season with a shutout ninth inning.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On their first night in Guangzhou, while Joost was in the private shower attached to their room, Martha pulled her money pouch from the recesses of her pack and counted her traveller’s checks.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
For the Canucks, Nikita Tolopilo was beaten four times on 11 shots before getting pulled early in the second.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Making his fifth start of the season in Queta’s absence, the backup center tallied 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Miami is now 10-2 this season when grabbing more than 15 offensive rebounds.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tyrone Blackburn's claims about [Fat Joe] were nothing more than an elaborate shakedown to extract money from him.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The approach sets Fetterman apart from Manchin and Sinema, who routinely used their swing vote status to extract concessions or shape legislation.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
House rebels view the attempt to squeeze the SAVE America Act into reconciliation, a restrictive budget process that requires all language to have a direct fiscal impact, as capitulation and want to see the entire bill, including its mandates on voter ID and proof of citizenship, signed into law.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Priced at just £600, the 13-inch Neo squeezes many of the MacBook Air’s best features into a device that is far more affordable.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The new summer blockbuster will follow Supergirl's three-day mission to obtain a cure for her superdog and friend, Krypto, who is poisoned by villainous alien Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Coggins said the deportation violated due process rights and protections under DACA, which Estrada Juarez obtained in 2013.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
To play for Hurley is to understand that taking a play off is not acceptable, that bending over and tugging at your short hems – a sure sign, in Hurley’s estimation, of weakness – will earn you either a death stare or a run up the steps.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The movie was a major success, tugging at the heartstrings of pet owners everywhere.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
