wrest

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To obtain by or as if by pulling with violent twisting movements: wrested the book out of his hands; wrested the islands from the settlers.
2. v. To usurp forcefully: wrested power from the monarchy.
3. v. To extract by or as if by force, twisting, or persistent effort; wring: wrest the meaning from an obscure poem.
4. v. To distort or twist the nature or meaning of: wrested the words out of context.
5. v. To divert to an improper use; misapply.
6. n. The act of wresting.
7. n. Music A small tuning key for the wrest pins of a stringed instrument.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The mold-board of a plow: originally its front portion. See turn-wrest plow (under plow).
2. To twist or turn; especially, to deflect, as from the existing or normal state, character, course, or significance: now used chiefly of immaterial things.
3. To remove, obtain, or bring by or as if by twisting or wringing; extract or pluck with. much effort; wring; wrench.
4. To wrestle; contend; strive.
5. n. l A twist; a writhing.
6. n. A tortuous action; distortion; perversion; hence, a ruse; a stratagem. Compare wrench, n., 1.
7. n. An instrument of the wrench, screw-key, or spanner kind; specifically, a key or small wrench for tuning stringed musical instruments, as the harp or piano, by turning the pins to which the strings are fastened. See tuning-hammer, and tuning-key (under key).
8. n. The partition in an overshot wheel which determines the form of buckets.

Wiktionary

1. v. To pull or twist violently.
2. v. To obtain by pulling or violent force.
3. v. figuratively To seize
4. v. figuratively To twist, pervert, distort.
5. n. The act of wresting; a wrench or twist; distortion.
6. n. obsolete Active or motive power.
7. n. music A key to tune a stringed instrument.
8. n. A partition in a water wheel by which the form of buckets is determined.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To turn; to twist; esp., to twist or extort by violence; to pull of force away by, or as if by, violent wringing or twisting.
2. v. To turn from truth; to twist from its natural or proper use or meaning by violence; to pervert; to distort.
3. v. obsolete To tune with a wrest, or key.
4. n. The act of wresting; a wrench; a violent twist; hence, distortion; perversion.
5. n. obsolete Active or moving power.
6. n. A key to tune a stringed instrument of music.
7. n. A partition in a water wheel, by which the form of buckets is determined.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically