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definitions

wield

[ weeld ]
/ wild /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wield ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to exercise (power, authority, influence, etc.), as in ruling or dominating.
to use (a weapon, instrument, etc.) effectively; handle or employ actively.
Archaic. to guide or direct.
Archaic. to govern; manage.

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RELATED WORDS

handle, exert, employ, maintain, swing, apply, operate, brandish, manipulate, possess, maneuver, manage, shake, work, utilize, ply, wave, command, have, conduct

Nearby words

  1. widthwise,
  2. widukind,
  3. wie geht's,
  4. wieland,
  5. wieland, christoph martin,
  6. wieldy,
  7. wien,
  8. wien, wilhelm,
  9. wiener,
  10. wiener neustadt

Origin of wield

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
Related formswield·a·ble, adjectivewield·er, nounun·wield·a·ble, adjective
Can be confusedweald wield
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wielded

British Dictionary definitions for wielded

wield

/ (wiːld) /

verb (tr)

to handle or use (a weapon, tool, etc)
to exert or maintain (power or authority)
obsolete to rule
Derived Formswieldable, adjectivewielder, noun

Word Origin for wield

Old English wieldan, wealdan; related to Old Norse valda, Old Saxon waldan, German walten, Latin valēre to be strong
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for wielded

wield

v.

Old English weldan (Mercian), wieldan, wealdan (West Saxon) "to govern, possess, have control over" (class VII strong verb; past tense weold, past participle gewealden), merged with weak verb wyldan, both from Proto-Germanic *wal-t- (cf. Old Saxon and Gothic waldan, Old Frisian walda "to govern, rule," Old Norse valda "to rule, wield, to cause," Old High German waltan, German walten "to rule, govern").

The Germanic words probably are from PIE *waldh- (cf. Old Church Slavonic vlado "to rule," vlasti "power;" Lithuanian veldu "to rule, possess"), from root *wal- "to be strong, to rule" (see valiant).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper