through the wringer

idiom

informal
: through a series of very difficult or unpleasant experiences
Those poor people have really gone/been through the wringer lately.
They were put through the wringer by the adoption agency.

Examples of through the wringer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And if your pair looks a little dingy after putting them through the wringer on vacation, don’t stress—the Tree Runners can go right in the washing machine. Sara Coughlin, SELF, 27 Sep. 2024 That means to the world to somebody who’s been thrown through the wringer and discarded and kicked to the curb. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024 In terms of sturdiness, Travel + Leisure’s testing team put these bags and hundreds of others through the wringer to create a list of the best affordable luggage sets. Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2024 That includes salads, which are often a showcase in late summer because, in addition to being healthful, adding a handful to a bowl of greens or fruit is an easy way to refresh a body (and psyche) that’s been through the wringer because of this year’s never-ending hot weather. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for through the wringer 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'through the wringer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near through the wringer

Cite this Entry

“Through the wringer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/through%20the%20wringer. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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