WREST Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

wrest

verb

ˈrest

Definition of wrest

as in to pry

to draw out by force or with effort the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to extort

to get (as money) by the use of force or threats vowed that the bully had wrested his lunch money from him for the last time

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to earn

to get with great difficulty farmers who were used to wresting a living from the harsh land

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to pull

to move by or as if by a forceful rotation I need a strong arm to wrest the lid off this pickle jar

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to grab

to separate or remove by forceful pulling wrested open the stuck door of the cabinet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattach

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of wrest On Polymarket, the odds are even higher, with a 59% chance that Democrats will wrest control. — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 During the fight, the suspect was able to wrest himself away from Gudino Gonzalez, shooting him in the leg and then in the head. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2026 The plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers tried to wrest control from the hijackers. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026 This has been a one-sided Test series, and Pakistan did little to wrest away England’s overall dominance on the first day at Edgbaston. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrest

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrest

Verb

Achane’s replacement scored at the end of the third quarter pulled Miami within a score, making it 12-10 headed into the fourth quarter.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Like a matador swirling his cape, Patrick Roden-Reynolds pulled a swatch of white flannel this way and that on the grass and leaf litter in my yard.

— Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of pull

Verb

Hill alleged school board members tried to extort her into resigning in a memo sent to the board ahead of her firing.

— Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
Police in Europe allege that a 16-year-old is the leader of a ransomware group called KillSec, which tried to extort hundreds of businesses and organizations.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of extort

Verb

Formed in 2012, Polaris broke through with 2017’s The Mortal Coil and 2020’s The Death of Me, both of which debuted in the Australian Top 10 and earned ARIA nominations for best hard rock/heavy metal album.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2026
Referees showed head coach Nate Miller a pair of yellow cards a minute apart, earning him an ejection 21 minutes into the game.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of earn

Verb

Much of the fear stems from Paramount's pledge to extract more than $6 billion in annual synergies within three years of closing the merger.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
When Blue Cross Blue Shield recently published research suggesting that hospitals use artificial intelligence tools to extract more money from insurers without providing additional care, people were mad.

— Leah Pierson, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of extract

Verb

But the highlight of the spa is the infinity-edge rock pool, squeezed into a canyon between towering rock walls, with views out over the valley beyond.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
It’s being squeezed by all sorts of forces, commercial forces, corporate forces, political forces.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeeze

Verb

An April 2025 legionella report obtained by The Sacramento Bee shows the bacteria was found in at least 17 samples, including those taken from the men’s locker room, a women’s bathroom and several janitor closets.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Caputo said the idea for the citizenship-for-investment program emerged during Milei's July 2024 visit to Sun Valley, Idaho, when tech executives expressed interest in obtaining Argentine citizenship.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of obtain

Browse Nearby Words

wrenching

wrest

wrested

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Wrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrest. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of wrest

verb

Example Sentences

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