MEANING
To obtain something by force, struggle, or sustained effort.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- wrest control
- wrest a concession
On the page
The negotiators wrested a concession from the ministry.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- wrest
- Past tense
- wrested
- Past participle
- wrested
- Present participle
- wresting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- wrest
- Present continuous
- am/is/are wresting
- Present perfect
- have/has wrested
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been wresting
- Past
- wrested
- Past continuous
- was/were wresting
- Past perfect
- had wrested
- Past perfect continuous
- had been wresting
- Future
- will wrest
- Future continuous
- will be wresting
- Future perfect
- will have wrested
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been wresting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: wrest; wrests; wrested; wrested; wresting Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: wrests.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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