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wield

[weeld]

Example Sentences Origin

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.

Origin:
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 forms

wield·a·ble, adjective

wield·er, noun

un·wield·a·ble, adjective

Can be confused: weald, wield.

Synonyms
1. exert, employ, utilize. 2. manipulate, control.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To wield

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Wield is one of our favorite verbs.

So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

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Example Sentences

Truman suggests that former presidents wield lingering powers to keep matters from their administration secret.

But police officers now commonly wield the futuristic weapons.

Parties that are brought in to make up the coalition numbers wield disproportionate clout, so extremists set the agenda.

EXPAND

Truman suggests that former presidents wield lingering powers to keep matters from their administration secret.

But police officers now commonly wield the futuristic weapons.

Parties that are brought in to make up the coalition numbers wield disproportionate clout, so extremists set the agenda.

Africa's predators wield deadly weapons, from razor-sharp claws to fatally toxic venom.

Chimps wield tools, chameleons change colors, and dogs can recognize their owners.

Let them wield the scissors and spare me this ignominy.

Gents, even if the only iron you ever wield is on the golf course you can still keep a razor-sharp crease in your trousers.

One reason for the silence is fear of retribution, given the power that mentors wield over their students' careers.

Orangutans spell, crows wield tools, parrots count and dolphins and chimpanzees show cunning if not outright deceit.

To understand that, it's important to understand the vast amount of power that ancestors wield over daily life.

Absolute power corrupts those who wield it, because inevitably a clique forms around them.

True to the researchers' suspicions, many of these algal species seemed to wield a poison touch.

But, there is only so much that can be done in the face of legal restrictions and the economic power that publishers wield.

Many asked whether it was right that a minority shareholder-hedge fund or not-should wield so much power.

Kangaroos can also bite and wield sharp claws, which they may do in battle with an enemy, such as a dingo.

And those who wield wealth do not see that they are using a weapon.

Political action committees wield a lot of power in politics these days.

Broadand whomever is trying to wield influence and power.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, given the power these individuals wield.

At its core is the idea of nyama: a life force tapped by experts to wield supernatural power.

Consequently, labor unions don't wield the political clout they used to.

To those who might ever have the opportunity to wield such influence, please advise against formal/official/required mentoring.

Every country can wield a veto until its needs are met.

The child can only wield the power for so long before it consumes them.

Because each state elects exactly two senators, thinly-peopled rural states wield disproportionate influence.

Indian reservations can wield as much power as states in negotiating environmental regulations with the federal government.

Even as the industry fights back with technology in one hand, it continues to wield the law in the other.

There is no greater joy than the imaginary power a kid can wield over a grown-up.

But it is also an indictment of a weak opposition, and raises worries that he will now wield virtually absolute power.

New enthusiasts are demanding consumers: they know how much market power they wield.

Someone begins an investigation of a common problem-the desire to wield more power, get more money or some combination of the two.

Giant supermarket chains wield great power: it is legitimate to demand that power is wielded fairly.

He would probably be slightly bemused by the influence he has come to wield in the corporate world.

Even with its waxing economic power, it is too small to wield global influence alone.

Either they can build up their military capabilities to wield power.

Russia's athletic machine is being designed to flatten all others, and three organizations wield a heavy hammer.

How anthropologists wield ethical guidelines also came up for scrutiny.

In the same places nastily populist or xenophobic parties wield hefty electoral clout, or prop up governing coalitions.

We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.

For the first time, rodents have been trained to wield tools in the laboratory and other species may soon join them.

There is often an unconscious desire to humiliate others and wield unchallengeable authority.

But the traders wield enormous power and have been able to take advantage of the chaotic legal status of logging.

Apple shouldn't be able to wield its control over its operating system and app store to create an unfair advertising.

His charges were less serious because he did not wield a gun.

Men wield weapons to inflict their will all the while perserving and improving their lifestyles.

We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its costs.

Scattered about town or gathered in a few clusters, they wield enough.

And she witholds information so that she can wield power over others.

Some cannot bring themselves to wield the axe: big.

The cases, though different in magnitude, highlight the power that defense lawyers wield in securities-law prosecutions.

Few of the princes, politicians and strongmen who wield ultimate authority over these firms can resist the urge to meddle.

The sbandieratori compete by showing how well they wield and throw their flags.

He said his office embraced the challenges it faced in being the first to wield the statute in this novel manner.

Judgments differ on how much influence senior columnists wield.

They wield great power-a downgrade can tip a company into bankruptcy-but lack accountability.

Our children wield their adaptive plasticity amid small but horrific risks.

Some wield lightsabers themselves, others can teleport to attack you from behind.

The production expertly suggests how power makes freaks of those who wield it.

At last it is beginning to resemble a government endeavouring to wield power.

The combined company would wield tremendous, some say overwhelming, influence in the advertising world.

Those who wield the latter intrinsically wield the former.

Now, as democracy slowly spreads, the young wield another kind of power.

Wield your magic dagger to rewind the game and try again.

Studios wield their marketing campaigns as they always have, priming audiences to expect the best.

All this explains why the bosses of several start-ups have started to wield a big axe.

But although unlike private-equity groups they rarely launch takeovers on their own, they can still wield a lot of influence.

Those trusted to write the scripts wield real power.

If the prison is in a small town, the prisoners would wield enough voting power to disrupt local politics.

He was beloved because he was in charge, yet never had ambitions to wield greater power.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

wield (wiːld)

—vb
1.	to handle or use (a weapon, tool, etc)
2.	to exert or maintain (power or authority)
3.	obsolete to rule

[Old English wieldan, wealdan; related to Old Norse valda, Old Saxon waldan, German walten, Latin valēre to be strong]

'wieldable

—*adj*

'wielder

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

wield

O.E. weldan (Mercian), wieldan, wealdan (W.Saxon) "to govern, possess, have control over" (class VII strong verb; past tense weold, pp. gewealden), merged with weak verb wyldan, both from P.Gmc. *wal-t- (cf. O.S., Goth. waldan, O.Fris. walda "to govern, rule," O.N. valda "to rule, wield, to cause,"

EXPAND

O.H.G. waltan, Ger. walten "to rule, govern"), probably from PIE *waldh- (cf. O.C.S. vlado "to rule," vlasti "power;" Lith. veldu "to rule, possess"), from base *wal- "to be strong, to rule" (see valiant).

COLLAPSE

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manage

Matching Quote

"Austria the shield and Prussia the sword!" Too bad that they are attached to the wrong arm: The right one holds the defiantly glistening shield, and the left one is supposed to wield the sword"

-Franz Grillparzer

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