: 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.
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Noun
The front fenders were resculpted into a gorgeous wedge shape that looks nothing like the 911, yet could be nothing else.—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2026 Top with basil leaves and serve with cooked rice on the side and lime wedges for squeezing over.—Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Tucson hit both vehicles and an unoccupied NYPD vehicle before finally coming to a stop after slamming into and wedging under an 18-wheel tractor-trailer.—Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026 Her new life went on like this for a while — a year, two years — until one night, Gomez was driving, leaned over to grab a pack of Life Savers that had rolled off the passenger seat, barreled off the road and over a ditch, and ended up with her car wedged between two trees.—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026 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