ˈwēld, esp before pause or consonant -ēəld transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English welden to have power over, control, from Old English wieldan; akin to Old High German waltan to rule, Old Norse valda to rule, wield, Gothic waldan to rule, dominate, Old Irish flaith power, rule, Latin valēre to be strong, be well, be worth, Lithuanian veldėti to rule, Tocharian B walo king
1. chiefly dialect : to deal successfully with : manage
weighty work, which he cannot wield by himself — Thomas Fuller
2. : to use (as a tool or instrument) especially with full command or power : handle , manipulate , control
wield a broom
wield a paintbrush
wielded a pen with clerkly precision — T.B.Costain
wielded the two languages with facility
3.
a. : to show or exert one's power or authority by means of : govern , run
those who wielded the bureaucratic machine — Hugh Seton-Watson
b. : to exercise (as power, authority, sovereignty) : employ
wield influence
a highly centralized executive wielding absolute power — Aldous Huxley
4. obsolete : express
I love you more than word can wield the matter — Shakespeare
Synonyms: see handle