What does "wrest" mean?
The act of wresting; a wrench or twist; distortion.
Wrest
/ɹɛst/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of wresting; a wrench or twist; distortion.
- Grammar: wrest is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abdicate, anamorphism, anamorphosis, arrogate.
- Useful contrasts: concede, form, give back.
- Usage evidence: Ask for the moon and I shall wrest it from the heavens.
How to use "wrest"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wrest" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wrest" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
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Check whether "wrest" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of wresting; a wrench or twist; distortion.
"Whereas therefore it is concluded out of theſe ſo weak Premiſſes, that the retaining of divers things in the Church of England, which other Reformed Churches have caſt out, muſt needs argue that we do not well, unleſs we can ſhew that they have done ill; what needed this wreſt to draw out from on an accuſation of forein Churches?"
- 2 A partition in a water wheel by which the form of the buckets is determined.
"Fig. 6 is the outline of a wheel having 40 buckets. […] The partitions, which determine the form of the buckets, conſiſt of three different planes or boards AB, BC, CD, which are variouſly named by different artiſts. We have heard them named the Start or Shoulder, the Arm, and the Wrest (probably for wriſt, on account of a reſemblance of the whole line to a human arm); […]"
- 3 A metal (formerly wooden) piece of some ploughs attached under the mouldboard (the curved blade that turns over the furrow) for clearing out the furrow; the mouldboard itself. dated, dialectal
"[W]hen giving ley or stubble land a single furrow for a corn crop, the sock should never be so broad as the slice, but an inch or two within it; except, like the bent-sock it comes a good way back on the wrest: because this breadth of feather materially augments the draught; and, by cutting the slice clean out, before being embraced by the wrest, frequently causes it to be shot aside, in place of being turned over."
- 4 A key to tune a stringed instrument.
"The Harpe. […] A harper with his wreſt maye tune the harpe wrong / Mys tunying of an Inſtrument ſhal hurt a true ſonge"
- 5 Active or motive power. obsolete
"Adowne he keſt it with ſo puiſſant wreſt, / That backe againe it did alofte rebowned, / And gaue againſt his mother earth a gronefull ſownd."
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- 6 Ellipsis of saw wrest (“a hand tool for setting the teeth of a saw, determining the width of the kerf”); a saw set. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, obsolete, rare
Verb
- 1 To pull or twist violently. transitive
- 2 obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically wordnet
- 3 To obtain by pulling or violent force. transitive
"He wrested the remote control from my grasp and changed the channel."
- 4 To seize. figuratively, transitive
"[S]he was one of your ſoft ſpoken, canting, whining hypocrites, who with a truly jeſuitical art, could wreſt evil out of the moſt inoffenſive thought, word, look or action; [...]"
- 5 To distort, to pervert, to twist. figuratively, transitive
"And I beſeech you / Wreſt once the Law to your authority, / To do a great right, do a little wrong, / And curbe this cruell deuill of his will."
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- 6 To tune with a wrest, or key. transitive
"The Harpe. A harpe geueth ſounde as it is ſette / The harper may wreſt it vntunablye"
Example
"Ask for the moon and I shall wrest it from the heavens."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wrest"?
Common synonyms include: abdicate, anamorphism, anamorphosis, arrogate, asymmetry, avulse.
How do you use "wrest" in a sentence?
Ask for the moon and I shall wrest it from the heavens.
How do you pronounce "wrest"?
Pronounced /ɹɛst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English wresten, wrasten, wræsten, from Old English wrǣstan (“to twist forcibly, wrench”), from Proto-Germanic *wraistijaną, (compare Proto-Germanic *wrīhaną (“to turn, wind; to cover, envelop”), *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist”), Old Norse reista (“to bend, twist”)), from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *wreiḱ-, *wreyḱ- (“to bend, twist”), *wreyt- (“to bend”). See also writhe, wry. The noun is derived from the verb.
Etymology 2
Possibly a variant of wrist: see the quotation. Wrist is also derived from *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist”), from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *wreiḱ-, *wreyḱ- (“to bend, twist”), *wreyt- (“to bend”).
Etymology 3
A misspelling of rest, probably influenced by wrest (etymology 1, verb and noun).