: a piece of a substance (such as wood or iron) that tapers to a thin edge and is used for splitting wood and rocks, raising heavy bodies, or for tightening by being driven into something
2
a
: something (such as a policy) causing a breach or separation
b
: something used to initiate an action or development
3
: something wedge-shaped: such as
a
: an array of troops or tanks in the form of a wedge
b
: the wedge-shaped stroke in cuneiform characters
c
: a shoe having a heel extending from the back of the shoe to the front of the shank and a tread formed by an extension of the sole
d
: an iron golf club with a broad low-angled face for maximum loft
Noun
He used a wedge to split the firewood.
A wedge held the door open.
The battalion formed a wedge and marched toward the enemy. Verb
She wedged her foot into the crack.
The dog got wedged between the couch and the end table.
I wedged myself into the car's back seat.
She wedged the door open.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The door stop alarm wedges into the floor or window tracks to block unwanted entry from the outside.—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025 Golfer Bryson DeChambeau even got permission to hit a few wedge shots from the White House's south lawn.—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
Moreover, as the show delves into the mystery behind the academy’s founding and its benefactors, Evelyn’s manipulation tactics become apparent, wedging even the closest pupils apart and establishing a hierarchy among the Tall Pines Academy staff.—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025 Moldova is wedged between Ukraine, where Russia wages its brutal war, and Romania, a NATO member critical to the assistance to Kyiv.—Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wedge
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English wegge, from Old English wecg; akin to Old High German wecki wedge, Lithuanian vagis
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Share