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verb (used with object)
1.
to twist or turn; pull, jerk, or force by a violent twist.
2.
to take away by force: to wrest a knife from a child.
3.
to get by effort: to wrest a living from the soil.
4.
to twist or turn from the proper course, application, use, meaning, or the like; wrench.
noun
5.
a wresting; twist or wrench.
6.
a key or small wrench for tuning stringed musical instruments, as the harp or piano, by turning the pins to which the strings are fastened.
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Wrest
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
Origin:
before 1000; (v.) Middle English wresten, Old English wrǣstan; cognate with Old Norse reista; akin to wrist; (noun) Middle English: a wresting, derivative of the v.
before 1000; (v.) Middle English wresten, Old English wrǣstan; cognate with Old Norse reista; akin to wrist; (noun) Middle English: a wresting, derivative of the v.
Related forms
wrest·er, noun
un·wrest·ed, adjective
un·wrest·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To wrest
Example Sentences
- The ideal reward for successful defense is not to go on doing it forever but eventually to wrest the attack for oneself.
- To interrupt is to show dominance and try to wrest control.
- Nor is it certain that the new entrants will ever be able to wrest away the big three hardware makers' customers.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
wrest
O.E. wræstan "to twist, wrench," from P.Gmc. *wraistijanan (cf. O.N. reista "to bend, twist"), derivative of *wrig-, *wreik- "to turn" (see wry). Meaning "to pull, detach" (something) is recorded from c.1300. Meaning "to take by force" (in ref. to power, authority, etc.) is attested from 1426.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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