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
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
Last month, the army wrested control of the capital Khartoum from the RSF, forcing it to retreat from the city, in one of its major losses since the start of the war.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wrest
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
Last month, the army wrested control of the capital Khartoum from the RSF, forcing it to retreat from the city, in one of its major losses since the start of the war.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 16 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
-
In a year that emphasized bold narratives and artistic risk, several standout films earned praise.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
29 May 2025
-
Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
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
-
Among those 79, records for four in Indian River County were previously publicly available, allowing reporters to obtain case details, but are now under seal.—
Hannah Critchfield,
Sun Sentinel,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
At some point, viewers feel as if they’re being tugged along instead of eagerly anticipating the next turn of events.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
16 May 2025
-
Two of the city’s most prominent sports decision-makers, trying to tug their Broncos to the same heights these Nuggets have reached in recent years, were treated to some of the most putrid basketball anyone inside Ball Arena could’ve possibly imagined.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
11 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share