wrest
wrest Lexical Profile
wrest Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To take or obtain power, control, or a possession after considerable effort or difficulty.
"The challenger campaigned tirelessly to wrest control of the committee from the long-standing incumbent."
To forcibly pull, wrench, or twist something away from a person's grasp.
"The security guard managed to wrest the megaphone from the protester's hands."
To distort, twist, or pervert the original meaning or intent of words, facts, or laws.
"Critics accused the commentator of trying to wrest the historical text to fit a modern political agenda."
• noun
A forceful pull, twist, or wrench.
"With a sudden wrest of the handle, she managed to open the jammed door."
A key or small wrench used to tune stringed musical instruments such as harps, pianos, or zithers by turning the tuning pins.
"The technician used a steel wrest to adjust the tension on the harp strings before the concert."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'wrest' with its homophone 'rest' (to relax or cease movement); 'wrest' always implies forceful extraction, twisting, or strenuous effort to obtain something.
• Rhymes for wrest
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'wræstan' (to twist, wrench, or wring), tracing back to Proto-Germanic '*wraistijanan', from the same root as 'writhe' and 'wrestle'.