wrest
/rest/ (bre, ipa) · [rˈɛst] /rest/ (ame, ipa) · [rˈɛst] /ˈrest How to pronounce wrest (audio)/ (ame, mw)
wrest — verb
- wrestpresent simple I / you / we / they
- wrests3rd person singular
- wresting-ing form
- wrestedpast simple
1. to take power, control, or possession of something by putting in great effort, o
to take power, control, or possession of something by putting in great effort, often in a competitive or forceful way — for example, wresting a championship title from a stronger opponent, or wresting political control from a ruling party.
The challenger wrested the championship belt from the defending boxer after twelve tough rounds.
wrest [something] from [someone] — taking possession through effort
Small family farms across the region wrest a living from land that most people consider too dry to farm.
wrest a living from [inhospitable place]
After years of negotiations, the workers' union wrested important safety guarantees from the company.
The rebel army managed to wrest control of the capital city from the government forces in 1999.
Anika wrested the top prize at the science fair with her project on water purification.
文法句型
wrest + [something] + from + [someone/something]
wrest + [control/power/victory]
用法筆記
Frequently used in formal or literary contexts. Objects are typically abstract or non-physical (control, power, victory, independence). When the object is a physical item, the sense shifts closer to sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. to pull or force something out of someone's hands or away from their body using
to pull or force something out of someone's hands or away from their body using sudden, strong physical effort — for example, wresting a weapon from an attacker or wresting a bag from a thief's grip.
Kwame wrested the knife from the intruder's hand while two other officers rushed into the room.
wrest [weapon] from [attacker]
A sudden gust of wind wrested the paper umbrella from Elena's fingers and sent it into the lake.
Hugo wrested the iron bar from the burglar's grip while his partner called the police.
Firefighters wrested the heavy iron gate from its hinges to reach the trapped family inside.
Samira wrested the heavy suitcase from the old woman's hand and carried it up the stairs herself.
文法句型
wrest + [something] + from + [someone]
用法筆記
In this physical sense, the subject is almost always a person (or natural force like wind), and the object is a concrete physical item. Distinguish from sense 1, where the object is abstract (power, control) and the effort is more figurative.
常見錯誤
wrest — noun
1. a sudden, hard pulling or twisting movement that removes something from a fixed
a sudden, hard pulling or twisting movement that removes something from a fixed position or from someone's hold — for example, a wrest of the wrist to free a stuck lid, or a wrest of the arm to break away from a grip.
A quick wrest of Clara's wrist freed the stuck lid from the jar.
a wrest of [body part] — describing a twisting motion
The lock was old and rusty, but one hard wrest of the key broke it free after years of disuse.
Finn freed the trapped oar with a firm wrest against the current of the fast-moving river.
Diego gave the stubborn bolt a sharp wrest with the wrench, and it finally began to turn.
The old sailor gave the tangled rope a hard wrest that surprised even the younger men on deck.
文法句型
a wrest + of + [body part / object]
用法筆記
This noun sense is very rare in modern English. It is almost always used in the singular with an article (a wrest / the wrest) and typically appears in literary or technical descriptions of physical actions, not in everyday speech.
2. a specially shaped metal tool, like a small wrench or key, used by piano technic
a specially shaped metal tool, like a small wrench or key, used by piano technicians to turn the tuning pins in a piano or other stringed instrument, thereby raising or lowering the pitch of each string.
The piano technician placed the wrest onto the tuning pin and turned it carefully one degree clockwise.
Mei had learned to use a wrest during her apprenticeship at the concert hall's instrument workshop.
use a wrest — technical tool for tuning
Each wrest is shaped to fit the square head of a tuning pin and comes in several standard sizes.
A set of eight wrenches in the toolbox included one small wrest meant for antique harpsichords.
Without the proper wrest, the piano tuner could not adjust the strings that had gone flat during the humid summer.
- tuning hammer
the common modern term; describes the same tool with a wooden handle
- tuning lever
alternative modern term, especially for grand pianos
- tuning pin wrench
descriptive term used by technicians
文法句型
the + wrest
a wrest + for + [instrument]
用法筆記
This is a specialized technical term from instrument maintenance. In everyday English, musicians usually call this tool a tuning hammer or tuning lever. 'Wrest' is primarily used by piano technicians and in historical contexts describing early keyboard instruments.