wrest

1 of 2

verb

wrested; wresting; wrests
Synonyms of wrest

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)

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
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.
Verb
During a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Monday, April 27, Quinn was seen wresting the ball out of the Guardians fan’s hands. Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026 Women are wrested from their seats and don’t return. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
At play here is the effort by the Democrats to wrest control of the 435-member U.S House from the Republicans in November and impeach President Donald Trump. Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2026 All 435 seats in the House and 33 seats in the Senate are up for grabs in November, and Democrats are gunning to wrest back control of Congress from the GOP in both chambers. Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrest

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

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrest was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrest. Accessed 7 May. 2026.

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

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