Definition of wrest - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
distortiondistort meaning or purpose
- The lawyer tried to wrest the facts to fit his case.
2.
take forcefullytake something by force or with considerable effort
- He managed to wrest the gun from the attacker's hands..
3.
musicDated UK tune a musical instrument with a keyDated UK
- He used a tool to wrest the piano strings.
Noun
1.
music toolDated key used to tune stringed instrumentsDated
- He used a wrest to tune the piano.
2.
machineryRare mechanical part in a water wheelRare
- The wrest determined the bucket shape on the wheel.
3.
agricultureRare UK metal piece on a plough for clearing furrowsRare UK
- The farmer replaced the wrest on his plough.
Images of wrest
key used to tune stringed instruments 
mechanical part in a water wheel 
metal piece on a plough for clearing furrows
Expressions with wrest
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
take something away by force or effort
He tried to wrest the book from her hands.
escape a difficult situation with effort
She wrested herself free from the toxic relationship.
remove something from a grip with effort
He managed to wrest free the rope from the anchor.
Origin of wrest
Old English, wrǣstan (to twist)
Examples of wrest in a sentence
Politicians often wrest words to suit their agendas. The rebels tried to wrest control of the city. She had to wrest the keys from his grip. She had to wrest the harp strings before the concert. The technician will wrest the organ pipes today. The craftsman misplaced his wrest during the concert.
She bought a new wrest for her harp tuning. The engineer adjusted the wrest for optimal performance. A broken wrest can halt the water wheel. The wrest was crucial for the plough's efficiency. Without a proper wrest, the plough couldn't function well.
View all translations of wrest
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:déformer, clé d'accord, ...
- German:verdrehen, Stimmhammer, ...
- Italian:distorcere, chiave d'accordatura, ...
- Spanish:distorsionar, afinador, ...
- Portuguese:distorcer, chave de afinação, ...
- Chinese:歪曲, 调音扳手, ...
- Japanese:歪める, 調律鍵, ...
- Arabic:لَوَى, مفتاح الضبط, ...
- Hebrew:לְסַלֵּף, מַפְתֵּחַ כִּוּוּן, ...
- Russian:искажать, ключ, ...
- Ukrainian:перекручувати, ключ, ...
- Hindi:तोड़-मरोड़ना, कुंजी, ...
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