wrest
verb (used with object)
to twist or turn; pull, jerk, or force by a violent twist.
had wrested
-
past perfectof wrest.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Penn arrived in present-day Philadelphia in 1682 after being granted the charter for a huge swath of land by King Charles II, land that the English had wrested from Dutch colonialists, historians say.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
On Monday, she was still so excited that she said she hoped to invite Louisiana State, the team that had wrested the title from Iowa on Sunday, 102-85, to the White House.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
Forces from Jubbaland had wrested control of Janay Abdale from al Shabaab in January as part of the offensive which first began in the centre of Somalia before spreading south.
From Reuters ● Mar. 7, 2023
Most of the formerly enslaved people who lived in Walden Woods were allowed to squat there after they were freed or had wrested their freedom, Lemire said.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 28, 2021
The armies of the Saracens had wrested from Christendom the western, southern, and eastern countries of the Mediterranean; their fleets dominated in that sea.
From History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2) Revised Edition by John William Draper
