Synonyms

wielding

American

[weel-ding] / ˈwil dɪŋ /

adjective

exercising power, authority, influence, etc..

Russia is a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council.
Discussion focused on the accountability of power-wielding institutions.
using or actively handling a weapon, instrument, etc..

A torch-wielding group of nationalists gathered around the statue for a nighttime protest.

noun

the act of exercising power or authority or of using or handling a weapon, instrument, etc..

Many programs have fallen to the government’s ceaseless wielding of the budget-cutting knife.

Etymology

Origin of wielding

First recorded in 1575–85; wield ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; wield ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

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.

While always reluctant to make sweeping changes, Borthwick has not ruled out wielding the axe.

From BBC

Chris Hemsworth, taking a break from wielding Thor’s hammer, stars as a meticulous Los Angeles jewel thief with no past and no fixed identity; his real name, or one of them, is apparently James Davis.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was there, decades before brandishing the Fraser broadsword, he made his first appearance in front of an audience - wielding a different weapon as "spear carrier number two" during a production of Macbeth aged 18.

From BBC

Preparatory drawings preceded the wielding of the brush.

From The Wall Street Journal

Soaking in pools, cooling off in caves and even wielding spears: The 35 wild chimps of the Fongoli community have adapted to the environment with behaviours that defy their species' conventional norms.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023