WREST Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

wrest

verb

ˈrest

Definition of wrest

as in to pry

to draw out by force or with effort the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to earn

to get with great difficulty farmers who were used to wresting a living from the harsh land

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to pull

to move by or as if by a forceful rotation I need a strong arm to wrest the lid off this pickle jar

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to grab

to separate or remove by forceful pulling wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattach

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 Lawmakers are heading home at the end of the week to campaign nearly full-time, with less than 50 days to go before the elections that will determine control of Congress as Democrats try to wrest power from Republicans. — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 In 2023, the city tried to wrest away a big tournament from Cincinnati, only to have Cincinnati figure out a way to keep it at the last minute. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2026 On Polymarket, the odds are even higher, with a 59% chance that Democrats will wrest control. — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 During the fight, the suspect was able to wrest himself away from Gudino Gonzalez, shooting him in the leg and then in the head. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrest

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest

Verb

Carl drops onto the couch, pulls Maribeth down on top of him.

— George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
When Randle pulls a defender into the paint, Porter has room to shoot if the ball comes back out.

— C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of pull

Verb

Among the new rackets were providing cheap workers to new industries, ruling the docks of large port cities, extorting money from trading companies, and working for political parties to intimidate rival voters.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Hill alleged school board members tried to extort her into resigning in a memo sent to the board ahead of her firing.

— Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of extort

Verb

Video on social media showed distressed shopkeepers begging young men to stop stealing their inventory—and those young men pushing them aside to grab shoes and food from their shelves.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
One 10-year-old girl, crying and trying to hug her father, was allegedly grabbed by the neck by law enforcement, according to the lawsuit.

— Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of grab

Verb

Rising global demand to extract battery metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese makes mining increasingly likely.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
Both the driver and semi were taken to the Newton-Azrak Station in Murrieta, where hazardous response specialists extracted the liquid contents from the tank, which tested positive for meth, the release said.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of extract

Verb

Meta squeezes two independent light-guiding cores into a single standard glass strand to double its bandwidth.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.

— , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeeze

Verb

The hackers also obtained access to unique student identifier numbers as well as information about gender, race or ethnicity, primary language, country of origin and English learner status.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Detectives identified a person of interest and obtained a search warrant for a residence.

— Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of obtain

Browse Nearby Words

wrenching

wrest

wrested

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of wrest

verb

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