wield
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
- unwieldable adjective
- wieldable adjective
- wielder noun
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”
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.
Patrick Kibbe said was wielded as a weapon: An umbrella that an investigator needed a special scale to weigh because it was less than one pound.
From Los Angeles Times
Beijing wields travel advisories and import bans rather than formal sanctions.
Beijing wields travel advisories and import bans rather than formal sanctions.
As his chief of staff, Yermak wielded enormous power at the top of government and was even trusted to negotiate on Ukraine's behalf at peace talks with the US.
From BBC
It’s often said that senior workers—who have the expertise to ask AI the right questions, and know enough to identify when it’s wrong—could wield it effectively.
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.
