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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Examples 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 Lebanon’s Army will have to try to wrest power from, and replace, Hezbollah. Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2024 Tom Rothman wrested the project away from Harvey Weinstein years ago at Fox — Frank Loesser’s widow Jo would not grant the necessary approvals until that happened — and the project traveled with Rothman to Sony. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024 Fierro — unaware of the sailor — quickly rushed the gunman, wrested away his firearm and repeatedly pummeled it into the back of the assailant’s head. Teri Figueroa, The Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2024 The thrust of his argument in the case, which is under seal, revolves around maintaining Fox as a conservative political media force by ensuring that Lachlan’s brothers and sisters won’t be able to wrest control of the company from him and moderate its coverage. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wrest 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest
Verb
  • That investigation began after Torres told police that a 21-year-old Chicago man continued to extort him — threatening to release nude photos and videos — if Torres failed to meet his financial demands.
    Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Typically, scammers will gain access to these accounts to help steal someone's identity, share posts about their scams or to extort a user into paying a ransom demand.
    Sam Sabin, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Just about all of the Chiefs’ 300 offensive yards were earned.
    Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
  • Since signing a five-year extension worth a maximum of $170 million before the 2023 season, Bosa earns a salary of $1.125 million this season, or $62,500 per week spread out over 18 weeks.
    Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
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
  • If not, grab your handheld vacuum to remove any dirt, crumbs and dead skin from the cushion.
    Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
  • In response, Jason grabbed the individual's phone and threw it to the ground, a video that has been shared countless times on social media.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Leadville materialized in 1860 with the discovery of placer gold (gold extracted from eroded rock), and the mining boom was on.
    James Dziezynski, Outside Online, 10 Nov. 2024
  • Organizations must ensure that no sensitive or personal data inappropriately feeds AI models or can be extracted from these systems, either maliciously or inadvertently.
    Rehan Jalil, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The investigation reveals a dismal picture of a company with a sales culture that depends on squeezing infirm and elderly patients and the government for every penny.
    Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Often the rookie spends several minutes adjusting their chair, finding the right eye relief, and remembering their shooting form before ever squeezing the trigger for that first dry fire.
    Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The company may need to consider strategic alternatives if additional capital is not obtained.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 7 Nov. 2024
  • According to training videos obtained by The Guardian, the forms are often prefilled with the information of a different person, a proxy who would file the challenge.
    Caroline Haskins, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • In 1846, scientists had observed irregularities in Uranus’ orbit, as if an invisible counterweight were tugging on the planet from the far side.
    Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024
  • The Trump era has twisted and tugged at the county’s social fabric, so much so that the answers to basic questions about what is true and who can be trusted no longer appear certain.
    Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near wrest

Cite this Entry

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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