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 There is an opportunity to wrest a positive outcome from the current tumult. Emily Kilcrease, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2025 Jolly formally announced his bid Thursday, becoming the latest party convert hoping to wrest back control of what had been the country's premier swing state before shifting hard to the right in recent years. Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025 To survive, much less thrive, tomorrow’s organizations would do well to wrest back the power of AI. Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025 Rumors suggested that the czar’s extended family, perhaps Paul or the dowager empress, would wrest power from Nicholas. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for wrest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
  • Ashe imagined a hypothetical scenario in which the school’s security force became like Haiti’s notorious secret police, the Tonton Macoute, whose officers not only threatened newspaper reporters, but also assaulted, extorted and tortured innocent citizens.
    David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2025
  • Gangs have long extorted businesses in the neighborhood and terrorized everyone else — including immigrants.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Cities are not required to assist with federal immigration law, but actively obstructing it could earn Mamdani federal charges.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 1 July 2025
  • The first film ignited to $30 million domestically and $45 million globally and became a sleeper hit for Universal and Blumhouse, ultimately earning $180 million against a $12 million budget.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 1 July 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
  • Order fish tacos or fresh salads at Bad Boy Burrito; grab at coffee at Cafe Moka; shop for clothing and gifts at Miss Monroe Boutique; and browse the open-air stalls at boo kee sue Botanics for handmade textiles, ceramics, and more.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 12 July 2025
  • Pick up seasonal staples like this breezy maxi dress and these Crocs recovery slides to comfortably beat the heat, or grab year-round closet staples like these classic Levi’s jeans and this timeless button-down shirt by Gap.
    Clara McMahon, People.com, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • Before 1962, the maximum legal barrel entry proof was 110, but Stitzel-Weller went much further during production to extract and preserve as much flavor as possible.
    Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • By crushing bones and boiling them to extract grease, Neanderthals tapped into a rich energy source, using techniques once thought to belong only to much later human groups.
    Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Kalvin Phillips squeezes a pass through the gap and into Omari Hutchinson, taking three Forest players out of the game.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 July 2025
  • Marlene alleged her son grabbed and started to squeeze her throat.
    Christine Pelisek, People.com, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • In its place, graduate students can obtain Stafford loans of up to $20,500 per year ($50,000 per year for qualifying law and medical students).
    Nathan Goldman, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • Bemberg is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and RCS certified and has obtained the the ISO 14001 certification.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Unable to transfer the 10 passengers to the rescue boat, the police officers began to tug the MasterCraft toward Keys Marina.
    Ethan Wolin Updated July 4, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
  • Tesla tugged on the market as the relationship between its chief executive, Elon Musk, and President Trump soured even further.
    Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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