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
Synonyms
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
Yacob Reyes, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024
While sudden incidents wrest the plot in new directions, the film is driven less by perverse narrative trickery than by the arbitrary cruelty of fate or the volatility of human nature.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024
Cooper Burton, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2024
Experts say North Korea uses its rivals’ drills as a pretext to enlarge its nuclear arsenal to wrest concessions when diplomacy resumes.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wrest 
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Verb
Catch up quick: Republicans wrested control of Hillsborough County from Democrats in 2022 and have leveraged that power to torpedo Pride commendations, slash affordable housing programs and more.
—Yacob Reyes, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024
While sudden incidents wrest the plot in new directions, the film is driven less by perverse narrative trickery than by the arbitrary cruelty of fate or the volatility of human nature.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024
Noun
That means Democrats would have to wrest control back of at least one chamber to deprive Republicans of their trifecta in the state.
—Cooper Burton, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2024
Experts say North Korea uses its rivals’ drills as a pretext to enlarge its nuclear arsenal to wrest concessions when diplomacy resumes.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wrest
Dictionary Entries Near wrest
Cite this Entry
“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrest. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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