wield
Americanverb (used with object)
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to exercise (power, authority, influence, etc.), as in ruling or dominating.
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to use (a weapon, instrument, etc.) effectively; handle or employ actively.
- Synonyms:
- control, manipulate
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Archaic. to guide or direct.
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Archaic. to govern; manage.
verb
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to handle or use (a weapon, tool, etc)
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to exert or maintain (power or authority)
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obsolete to rule
Other Word Forms
- unwieldable adjective
- wieldable adjective
- wielder noun
Etymology
Origin of wield
First recorded before 900; Middle English welden, Old English wieldan “to control,” derivative of wealdan “to rule”; cognate with German walten, Old Norse valda, Gothic waldan; akin to Latin valēre “to be strong, prevail”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Our dependence on satellite technology means that private citizens now wield enormous power over communications, transportation and war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
You could argue that the S&P 500 is even more concentrated; instead of 50 stocks, just five or seven, depending on how you count, wield outsized influence over how the index fares.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
They rediscover it in the 2015 installment after prior generations wield it -- albeit another model -- in earlier franchise films.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
In the commercial a woman uses it to design a website for her furniture refurbishment company, which, given the advent of Grok, is the least nefarious possibility one could wield with such a capacity.
From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026
Now that the number of soldiers has multiplied, they wield more power and the chief’s role has been reduced to that of a manager.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
