wrest
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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a wresting; twist or wrench.
-
a key or small wrench for tuning stringed musical instruments, as the harp or piano, by turning the pins to which the strings are fastened.
verb
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to take or force away by violent pulling or twisting
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to seize forcibly by violent or unlawful means
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to obtain by laborious effort
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to distort in meaning, purpose, etc
noun
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the act or an instance of wresting
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archaic a small key used to tune a piano or harp
Synonym Usage
See extract.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have wrestedperfect
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has wrestedperfect 3rd person singular
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am wrestingprogressive 1st person singular
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is wrestingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are wrestingprogressive
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have been wrestingperfect progressive
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has been wrestingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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wrestingparticiple
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wrestssingular 3rd person
Past
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had wrestedperfect
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was wrestingprogressive singular
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had been wrestingperfect progressive
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wrestedparticiple
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were wrestingprogressive plural
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wrestedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of wrest
First recorded before 1000; (verb) Middle English wresten, Old English wrǣstan “to turn, twist,” from unattested Old Norse wreista ( Icelandic reista ); akin to wrist; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the verb and first recorded in 1350-1400
Explanation
To wrest is to forcefully grab or take something away. You can wrest away many things, such as remote controls and championships. This word is strong and a little violent. It's not easy to wrest something away. Wresting away is a little like "wrestling" something away — you can't get it without a fight. Objects can be wrested away, but so can non-physical things. In a tough election, you could say the new president wrests away the title of commander-in-chief from the incumbent candidate.
Vocabulary lists containing wrest
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.
Wrest the world heavyweight championship from a man who hasn't lost in 11 years, has had 27 world title fights and made 23 successful title defences?
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2015
"Mr Ford, the late gardener at Wrest Park... has carried the plant many times from the conservatory to the mansion, and vice versa," it read.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2014
You're just a Wrest Ham fan who occassionally writes for them?
From The Guardian • May 6, 2013
Wrest Park tells the story of England's love affair with landscape.
From The Guardian • Aug. 1, 2011
Wilson bought a fabric-winged Gypsy Moth, christened it Ever Wrest, and learned the rudiments of flying.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
