wring

verb

ˈriŋ 

wrung ˈrəŋ  ; wringing ˈriŋ-iŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to squeeze or twist especially so as to make dry or to extract moisture or liquid

wring a towel dry

2

: to extract or obtain by or as if by twisting and compressing

wring water from a towel

wring a confession from the suspect

3

a

: to twist so as to strain or sprain into a distorted shape

I could wring your neck

b

: to twist together (clasped hands) as a sign of anguish

4

: to affect painfully as if by wringing : torment

a tragedy that wrings the heart

intransitive verb

: squirm, writhe

wring noun

Synonyms

• exact
• extort
• wrest

Examples of wring in a Sentence

I wrung the towel and hung it up to dry.

I wrung my hair and wrapped it in a towel.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Harris campaign is wringing its hands over fears that, even with the prospect of electing a Black woman as president, her support from African American voters is lagging. —Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 16 Oct. 2024

In an age where consumers guard their privacy more than ever and attention is increasingly fragmented across a range data-hoarding platforms, the task of wringing insights from consumer buying habits is not always an easy one. —Gary Drenik, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

Cottam stages the crowd scenes well and manages to wring a few hearty laughs. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024

The interaction between the mountains and the storm systems wrings more moisture out of the air, Clark, Maue and Corbosiero said. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English wringan; akin to Old High German ringan to struggle, Lithuanian rengtis to bend down, Old English wyrgan to strangle — more at worry

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing wring

• wring dry
• wring one's hands
• wring someone's neck

Kids Definition

wring

verb

ˈriŋ 

wrung ˈrəŋ  ; wringing ˈriŋ-iŋ 

1

: to squeeze or twist especially so as to make dry or to rid of moisture or liquid

wring wet clothes

2

: to get by or as if by twisting or pressing

wring the truth out of them

3

: to twist into an unnatural shape or appearance with a forcible or violent motion

wring a chicken's neck

4

: to cause pain to as if by wringing : torment

their troubles wrung our hearts