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Glite Dictionary
to wrest control

to wrest control

4 7.7
To take control from someone by force or strong effort
  • phrasal verb
  • /rɛst kənˈtroʊl/
translation icon : arrebatar el control
  • By the early sixties, most of the states were governed by nationalist military regimes that had wrested control from the overtly pro-Western elite set up by Western powers.
  • wrest control of the government

Examples

  • The government must act quickly to wrest control of the situation before it spirals out of hand.

  • The task of the Progressive statesman was to help the people wrest control of their government from the special interests who used the Constitution to defeat the popular will.

    Academic text (2002)

  • One key piece is to wrest control of election law from the parties...

    Blog text (7)

  • And they did wrest control of Reconstruction away from Andrew Johnson.

  • Late in November, the British had finally wrested control of the rivers from the Americans.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Democrats will be unable to easily wrest control from Republicans.

    Blog text (16)

  • In West Virginia, Republicans picked up a dozen seats in the House, though they failed to wrest control.

    Blog text (28)

  • Jack Lowenthal, son of the designer, wrested control of the business in 1990.

    Prêt-à-Porter (1994)

  • Southern California struggles to wrest control from Monterey, and no one knows who's in charge.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Moreover, among the Shiites, Muqtada al-Sadr seems to believe that he could wrest control from his rivals if the United States left.

    Academic text (2007)

Synonyms

to seize
vsto wrest control
277 3.2

To take control of a place or person quickly, often by force

means taking control through effort rather than only by sudden capture
to take control
vsto wrest control
227 3.5

Start to have power and make decisions about something

occurs through forceful seizure rather than ordinary assumption of authority
to grab
vsto wrest control
200 4.5

To take power or money in a dishonest, selfish way

describes forceful takeover after struggle rather than simply illegal taking
to snatch
vsto wrest control
136 3.0

To take something quickly with your hand

involves determined effort and force rather than a quick sudden grab
to subjugate
vsto wrest control
  • Formal
21 9.2

To bring someone or something under control, often by force

is about taking control from someone rather than long term rule
to wrest
vsto wrest control
  • Formal
17 7.6

To take something from someone with great effort or force

focuses on gaining authority specifically through forceful effort
to wrest from
vsto wrest control
4 8.7

To force something away from someone after a struggle

is about seizing control by force and determined effort

Antonyms

to surrender
722 4.4

To stop fighting and give control or things to someone else, often when forced

How Forceful

to overthrow
127 5.1
to wrest control
4 7.7
to seize
277 3.2
to usurp
34 8.6
to assume
77 5.7
to take control
227 3.5

Surface Forms

wrest control infinitive
wrested control past
wrested control past participle
wresting control present participle
wrests control third person singular

Morphology

wrest + control

The verb 'wrest' means to take by force or with great difficulty and 'control' denotes the ability to direct; together they compose the sense 'take control by force or determined effort' in a straightforward verb + object pattern. Although 'wrest' is relatively formal/less frequent, a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings can directly infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Wrest control comes from the old verb wrest, which means to twist or pull something away with force. Picture someone twisting a bar out of another person's hands to take charge. So wrest control means 'to take control' by force or strong effort.