51Թ

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View synonyms for

wrench

[rench]

verb (used with object)

  1. to twist suddenly and forcibly; pull, jerk, or force by a violent twist.

    He wrenched the prisoner's wrist.

  2. to overstrain or injure (the ankle, knee, etc.) by a sudden, violent twist.

    When she fell, she wrenched her ankle.

  3. to affect distressingly as if by a wrench.

  4. to wrest, as from the right use or meaning.

    to wrench the facts out of context.

    Synonyms: , ,


verb (used without object)

  1. to twist, turn, or move suddenly aside.

    He wrenched away.

  2. to give a wrench or twist at something.

noun

  1. a wrenching movement; a sudden, violent twist.

    With a quick wrench, she freed herself.

  2. a painful, straining twist, as of the ankle or wrist.

  3. a sharp, distressing strain, as to the feelings.

  4. a twisting or distortion, as of meaning.

  5. a tool for gripping and turning or twisting the head of a bolt, a nut, a pipe, or the like, commonly consisting of a bar of metal with fixed or adjustable jaws.

wrench

/ ɛԳʃ /

verb

  1. to give (something) a sudden or violent twist or pull esp so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached

    to wrench a door off its hinges

  2. (tr) to twist suddenly so as to sprain (a limb)

    to wrench one's ankle

  3. (tr) to give pain to

  4. (tr) to twist from the original meaning or purpose

  5. (intr) to make a sudden twisting motion

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a forceful twist or pull

  2. an injury to a limb, caused by twisting

  3. sudden pain caused esp by parting

  4. a parting that is difficult or painful to make

  5. a distorting of the original meaning or purpose

  6. a spanner, esp one with adjustable jaws See also torque wrench

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • wrencher noun
  • wrenchingly adverb
  • outwrench verb (used with object)
  • unwrenched adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of wrench1

before 1050; Middle English wrenchen (v.), Old English wrencan to twist, turn; cognate with German renken
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of wrench1

Old English wrencan; related to Old High German renken, Lithuanian rangyti to twist. See wrinkle 1
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Idioms and Phrases

see throw a monkey wrench.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

What unfolded next, they said, was gut wrenching.

From

Fewer resources means this financially draining and emotionally wrenching situation will become more common — perhaps even the norm.

From

Lane recalls watching the play and choking up when Lavin absent-mindedly wiped off a phone receiver — her character was always cleaning — right after a wrenching phone call.

From

A federal judge threw a wrench into President Donald Trump's plans to dismantle the Department of Education, ordering the administration to reinstate hundreds of laid-off federal workers and blocking the president's executive order.

From

A video from Fox 11 news showed at least one protester trying to wrench open a gate blocking a driveway.

From

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