wielding

[ weel-ding ]

adjective

1. exercising power, authority, influence, etc.:

   Russia is a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council.

   Discussion focused on the accountability of power-wielding institutions.

2. using or actively handling a weapon, instrument, etc.:

   A torch-wielding group of nationalists gathered around the statue for a nighttime protest.

noun

1. the act of exercising power or authority or of using or handling a weapon, instrument, etc.:

   Many programs have fallen to the government’s ceaseless wielding of the budget-cutting knife.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wielding¹

First recorded in 1575–85; wield ( def ) + -ing ²( def ) for the adjective senses; wield ( def ) + -ing ¹( def ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

The pair butt heads too much on court, so Zufer stuck to teaching his son off-court skills and physical tricks, such as how to wield his supersized body to draw fouls.

From Washington Post

The heads of each state department report to him, and he wields the power of the governor to run day-to-day state operations.

From ProPublica

Pattison recounts a pivotal moment in the field when the team encountered a man named Gadi, a hunchbacked, gun-wielding warrior from a local tribe called the Afar.

From Science News

The variety of content that we enjoy from the open internet hangs precariously in the balance when just a few enormous companies wield their power and can determine the fate of an entire industry.

From Digiday

His departure will deprive the premier of his most important adviser and strategist, who has wielded huge influence over all aspects of government policy, from its pandemic response to Brexit and economic reform.

From Fortune

Policy is about wielding power, while mercy is about transcending power by renouncing it.

From The Daily Beast

Until Levonuk reappeared an hour later wielding the soothing stuff at another Giant store 20 minutes away.

From The Daily Beast

Wielding a curved knife, a young man navigates past the aging structures and into the forest.

From The Daily Beast

Germane and relevant in their way, but wielding a different methodology.

From The Daily Beast

Some wielding signs hit the roof, windshield, and body of the car I was traveling in.

From The Daily Beast

From somewhere in the thicket below a muffled thump, thump, thump came up to them, as though some one was wielding an ax.

From Project Gutenberg

Gatti watched the fat, red faced man wielding fork and knife, eating the spaghetti with great relish.

From Project Gutenberg

Soma and Rudra, wielding sharp weapons and sharp bolts, kind friends, be gracious unto us here!

From Project Gutenberg

These minute emissaries climb up the forehead, and wielding a tiny club, knock individuals to sleep.

From Project Gutenberg

Peter Gross took the other bowl and began eating, wielding the chopsticks expertly.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• performing
• running