wrest

1 of 2

verb

ˈrest 

wrested; wresting; wrests

transitive verb

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

wrest

2 of 2

noun

1

: the action of wresting : wrench

2

archaic : a key or wrench used for turning pins in a stringed instrument (such as a piano)

Synonyms

Verb

• corkscrew
• extract
• prize
• pry
• pull
• root (out)
• tear (out)
• uproot
• wring
• yank

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

Verb

While the fight isn’t likely to determine the next opponent for UFC women’s flyweight titleholder Valentina Shevchenko, the winner might have a chance to wrest that shot away from the No. 2 ranked Manon Fiorot. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

In Hong Kong, Marion gets word from the enemy nations cartel that an American woman has wrested back control of the Meshbahar deposit from Pavlovich. —Sarene Leeds, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2024

Noun

At a crucial moment when German authorities are moving into position to try and wrest control from the Palestinian guerillas, ABC opts to film the locations where those troops are setting up vantage points. —Jenelle Riley, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024

Hawai`i’s statehood itself results from a treacherous cabal of business interests–Dole among them–conspiring together on a scheme to wrest control of the land away from Native Hawaiians and give it the U.S. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English wrasten, wresten, from Old English wrǣstan; akin to Old Norse reista to bend and probably to Old English wrigian to turn — more at wry

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wrest

verb

ˈrest

1

: to pull, force, or move by violent wringing or twisting movements

2

: to gain by or as if by force or violence

wrest power from the king