wrested; wresting; wrests
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
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
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
The prospect of the DeSantis administration wresting more control over the HBCU plays into longstanding anxieties that the state could cut into some of the university’s signature programs — or even merge the school with FSU, an idea lawmakers contemplated in the 1960s.
—Kate Payne, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 May 2025
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 29 May 2025
This time, as covert agent Ethan Hunt of the Impossible Missions Force, Cruise endeavors to wrest control of the Entity, an artificial intelligence system sought by bad guy Gabriel (Esai Morales), then retrieve its source code from ex-CIA agent William Donloe (Rolf Saxon).
—Armond White, National Review, 23 May 2025
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Verb
Whether an offensive will materialize in the coming weeks and months or prove capable of wresting any significant territory from the group remains to be seen.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
The prospect of the DeSantis administration wresting more control over the HBCU plays into longstanding anxieties that the state could cut into some of the university’s signature programs — or even merge the school with FSU, an idea lawmakers contemplated in the 1960s.
—Kate Payne, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 May 2025
Noun
The New York Times reported on May 24 that the foundation originated from a group of Israeli and American military and business leaders as a plan to wrest control of Gaza from Hamas and replace the U.N. as the primary distributor of aid in Gaza.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 29 May 2025
This time, as covert agent Ethan Hunt of the Impossible Missions Force, Cruise endeavors to wrest control of the Entity, an artificial intelligence system sought by bad guy Gabriel (Esai Morales), then retrieve its source code from ex-CIA agent William Donloe (Rolf Saxon).
—Armond White, National Review, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wrest
Cite this Entry
“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrest. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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