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.
-
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:
Some talk as though the population is ready to wield the pitchforks; that we are close to social breakdown; that a small spark could lead to a serious fire.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
A growing number of self-described creatives 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
I wrote a column shortly after, heralding Lopez’s overwhelming victory as a new era for Latino politics in Orange County, where Latinos make up a third of the population but still wield little power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Even in regular years, the tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 show up able to wield spears and swords.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
The network’s legal department now clearly wields a veto over its newsroom and primetime opinion stars.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Although the Akal Takht has no constitutional authority over elected governments, it wields immense religious influence among Sikhs.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
More recently, China has shown that it, too, wields potent leverage over other countries—including the U.S.—through its stranglehold on critical minerals essential for manufacturing everything from semiconductors to jet engines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 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
“He wields 10,000 hands of anger, greed, and revenge. He is the sworn enemy of Incandesto.”
From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo
He wielded that vision to argue for lower interest rates, arguing that a more productive economy can grow rapidly without generating inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 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
His eldest brother, singer-playwright Paavalar Varadharajan, performed at Communist Party events in the 1950s, when the party wielded significant influence in the region.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
It’s an audible version of the dramatic pause that is wielded to such versatile effect by Anton Chekhov, Harold Pinter and Annie Baker.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
I was beginning to see, though, that wielded carefully the light was more powerful than that.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Hundreds of police, some wielding sticks, were deployed near Shifa International Hospital in the capital Islamabad, with roads leading to the clinic cordoned off.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 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
Hugging Face - a kind of app store for artificial intelligence tools - announced on 16 July it had been hacked by a cyber criminal wielding enormously powerful AI.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Instead, wielding my noise-canceling earbuds, Odysseus-like, I plan to smother this screeching sound to preserve my sanity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
At this school, the only real weapons were words, so I’d become skilled at wielding them.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
