wield
Americanverb (used with object)
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wields,
present (3rd person singular)
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wielded,
past participle, past
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wielding
present participle
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to exercise (power, authority, influence, etc.), as in ruling or dominating.
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to use (a weapon, instrument, etc.) effectively; handle or employ actively.
- Synonyms:
- control, manipulate
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Archaic. to guide or direct.
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Archaic. to govern; manage.
verb
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to handle or use (a weapon, tool, etc)
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to exert or maintain (power or authority)
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obsolete to rule
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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wieldsimple
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wieldssimple
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have wieldedperfect
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has wieldedperfect
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am wieldingprogressive
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are wieldingprogressive
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is wieldingprogressive
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have been wieldingperfect progressive
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has been wieldingperfect progressive
Past
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wieldedsimple
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had wieldedperfect
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was wieldingprogressive
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were wieldingprogressive
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had been wieldingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wield
First recorded before 900; Middle English welden, Old English wieldan “to control,” derivative of wealdan “to rule”; cognate with German walten, Old Norse valda, Gothic waldan; akin to Latin valēre “to be strong, prevail”
Explanation
If you wield a tool or a weapon, you handle it effectively. Picture a gallant knight wielding a sword or a skillful chef wielding a whisk. You don't just have to wield something physical; you can also wield or exert influence or authority. Wield is frequently followed by the word power. If you were a king, you could wield great power in your kingdom — exerting your influence over everything from food rations to castle upkeep. As it is, though, you might just wield power over your pet goldfish. Note: wield follows the i before e, except after c spelling rule.
Vocabulary lists containing wield
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“With great power comes great responsibility to wield that power,” Mitchell says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
It's a nice marriage between the two, albeit disappointing that some things were not recreated - such as the ability to wield your assassin's hidden blades in combat.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
But they’re part of a growing number of self-described creatives who wield legal protections, legitimate and non, as a cudgel against others.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Roberts, a former White House lawyer, has long been skeptical of independent agencies whose officials may wield regulatory power in conflict with the views of the president.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Perhaps I too might wield the same old power that animated the ancestors, that lived in Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Nanny, Cudjoe, Malcolm X, and speak—no, act—as though my body were my own.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The network’s legal department now clearly wields a veto over its newsroom and primetime opinion stars.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Best and Last’s” flashbacks are a walloping reminder that Knoxville is inimitable: a telegenic and extroverted entertainer with a charisma he wields like a skunk aims its stink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Kim wields more agency than before and is determined to assert more autonomy during policy discussions with his Chinese guest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since being appointed, his health condition is a mystery, and it's unclear how much power he wields.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
Who wields power is not important, provided that the hierarchical structure remains always the same.
From "1984" by George Orwell
When tensions arose between Amodei and OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Brockman over who wielded power at the startup, Amodei, his sister and five other employees left to found Anthropic, in December 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
All this shapeshifting gives few clues about what Butler has been pursuing all these years, aside from power itself, which he has apparently wielded in the person of Gabbard.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
In sweltering heat at a fuel station, 24-year-old Tushar wielded a hammer as he fitted a Trump face cover to a three-wheeled rickshaw.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
For outsiders, Musk v Altman offered a crash course in how power is wielded in Silicon Valley.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
He remembered the red priest Thoros of Myr, and the flaming sword he had wielded in the melee.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Like yoga or dance, the experience is a workout that feels in alignment with the body’s natural movements, at an intensity appropriate to wielding an ancient weapon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Al-Dabba and his sons, donning protective netted hats and wielding metal bee smokers, gently inspect the neat rows of teeming hives.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Only a true and blustery hero can string it, much as we believe that only Damon can win a knife fight by wielding a pen.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
Khanna, 49, had been in a van with his team when they were surrounded by settlers wielding M4 rifles on Wednesday, he told Reuters news agency.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Maybe what they’d done had proven to the weapons that they were worthy of wielding them in the first place.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
