wrench

¹wrench

verb \ˈrench\

Definition of WRENCH

intransitive verb

1

: to move with a violent twist; also : to undergo twisting

2

: to pull or strain at something with violent twisting

transitive verb

1

: to twist violently

2

: to injure or disable by a violent twisting or straining <wrenched her back>

3

: change; especially : distort, pervert

4

a : to pull or tighten by violent twisting or with violence

b : to snatch forcibly : wrest

5

: to cause to suffer mental anguish : rack

— wrench·ing·ly \ˈren-chiŋ-lē\ adverb

Examples of WRENCH

1. I tried to wrench free from his grip.
2. I tried to wrench myself free from his grip.
3. He wrenched his back when he tried to lift a heavy box.
4. She wrenched the toy from his grasp.
5. The statue was wrenched from its pedestal.

Origin of WRENCH

Middle English, from Old English wrencan; akin to Old High German renken to twist and perhaps to Latin vergere to bend, incline

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to WRENCH

Synonyms

twist, wrest, wring

Related Words

draw, dredge (up), extract, jerk, lug, pluck, pull, tug, tweak, yank; jimmy, lever, pry; budge, dislocate, displace, disturb, remove; shift, transfer, transpose

Near Antonyms

reattach

Rhymes with WRENCH

bench, Bench, blench, clench, drench, french, French, Hench, quench, stench, tench, trench, wench

²wrench

noun

Definition of WRENCH

1

a : a violent twisting or a pull with or as if with twisting

b : a sharp twist or sudden jerk straining muscles or ligaments; also : the resultant injury (as of a joint)

c : a distorting or perverting alteration

d : acute emotional distress : sudden violent mental change

2

: a hand or power tool for holding, twisting, or turning an object (as a bolt or nut)

3

: monkey wrench 2

Examples of WRENCH

1. It was a wrench to say goodbye to all my friends.
2. <with a sharp wrench of the hammer I pulled the nail from the board>

First Known Use of WRENCH

1530

Related to WRENCH

Synonyms

twist, twisting, wrenching, wresting, wringing

Antonyms

push

Related Words

draft, draw, extraction, pull, tug, yank; dislocation, displacement

Near Antonyms

heave, shove, thrust

Other Hardware Terms

adze, auger, awl, chock, ferrule, punch, tang

wrench

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Tool, usually operated by hand, for tightening bolts and nuts. A wrench basically consists of a lever with a notch at one or both ends for gripping the bolt or nut so that it can be twisted by a pull at right angles to the axes of the lever and the bolt or nut. Open-end wrenches have ends with straight-sided slots that fit over the part being tightened; box-end wrenches have ends that enclose the nut and have six, eight, 12, or 16 points inside the head. A socket wrench is essentially a short pipe with a square or hexagonal hole and either a permanent or a removable handle.

Variants of WRENCH

wrench or spanner