wrench

play

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

—

wrenchingly

play \ˈren-chiŋ-lē\ adverb

See wrench defined for English-language learners

See wrench defined for kids

Examples of wrench in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of wrench from the Web

Equipped with a microphone and cameras, these rooms are the stage for wrenching dramas as children sit one after the other to recount details of abuse.

— david jackson, chicagotribune.com, "Police, DCFS cutbacks strain center that investigates child sex crimes," 23 Aug. 2017
The heart-wrenching truth is that thousands of children around the globe die every day, for a myriad of reasons.

— brad wenstrup, National Review, "Why Charlie Gard’s Life Was Worth Fighting For," 28 July 2017
Despite some impressive flying and a last ditch effort to correct the plane's flight path, the six-meter-wide vehicle lands with a heart-wrenching thud, splitting the Junker in two.

— juquai mcduffie, Popular Mechanics, "Watch This Huge RC Plane Meet an Unfortunate End," 24 July 2017
Lamar peeled back several layers Friday that fans can’t get from album art or even from his heart-wrenching catalog of music videos.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "In hip-hop, there’s Kendrick Lamar, and then there’s everyone else," 15 July 2017
Many of the rock climbers who help overwhelmed fire departments free tens of thousands from lifts begin to give up on day four despite the heart-wrenching banging that continues to echo through some elevator shafts.

— The Economist, "The disaster that could follow from a flash in the sky," 13 July 2017
Crocodiles snap, roll, shake, and wrench to tear larger meals into manageable chunks.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Nothing but the Tooth," 10 July 2017
With its two multidimensional leads grappling with each other's ever-changing moods and motives (not least of which their own), Weekend feels like a timidly optimistic slice of life, and its ambiguous ending is gut-wrenching without being a cop-out.

— max berlinger, GQ, "The 8 Best LGBT Movies to Watch on Netflix," 25 June 2017
Although that goal was not achieved, players said the way this season ended was not any more gut-wrenching than the losses in seasons past.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "In season-ending loss, UofL baseball defined by coexistence of success and disappointment," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wrench.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of wrench

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

wrench Synonyms

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

wrench

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 (such as a bolt or nut)

3 :monkey wrench 2

See wrench defined for English-language learners

Examples of wrench in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of wrench from the Web

A lot of these guys grew in the sport, watching their parents turn wrenches on a car.

— jim ayello, USA TODAY Sports, "Behind the scenes with IndyCar spotters: 'The second most stressful job' in the sport," 24 Aug. 2017
The new station, which was installed in mid-July, is stocked with tools like wrenches, screwdrivers and air pumps, needed to change a flat, adjust brakes or perform maintenance.

— johnny diaz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Got a flat cycling around Miami Beach? Try new, free bike repair station," 18 Aug. 2017
Get this: Threadripper's installation process is so unique, every chip ships with its own torque wrench in the box.

— gordon mah ung, PCWorld, "Watch us unbox and install AMD's monster Threadripper CPU," 3 Aug. 2017
To even think about having junk food would completely throw a wrench in my entire day …

— benjamin vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, "Alyssa Milano Puts This Homegrown Ingredient In ‘Everything’," 5 July 2017
For a culture that already isn't great at having conversations about end-of-life issues, that's just a further wrench in how folks emotionally prepare for the inevitable.

— Chicago Reader, "It Came From the Neo-Futurarium XII, In the Soundless Awe, and six more new stage shows," 28 June 2017
The wrench in Baby’s perfectly soundtracked and choreographed flow is Bats (Jamie Foxx), a psychopathic bank robber who is highly suspicious of Baby’s unique style.

— katie walsh, star-telegram, "‘Baby Driver’ accelerates like the Subaru WRX at its heart," 27 June 2017
The deeper the turmoil or the bigger the wrench thrown into your plans, the stronger the feeling that your heart’s terrible geography is the new normal, extending in this wretched channel, in just this way, to the end of your life.

— katie ward beim-esche, The Christian Science Monitor, "'When Dimple Met Rishi' is a zippy, charming update on arranged marriage," 5 June 2017
Another wrench was then thrown at her: participation in a pageant, which was part of the final selection process.

— michael katz, idahostatesman, "Caldwell native Kelsey Cornwell living unlikely dream as New England Patriots cheerleader," 25 May 2017

First Known Use of wrench

1530

wrench Synonyms

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 Defined for English Language Learners

wrench

play

verb

Definition of wrench for English Language Learners

: to twist and pull with a sudden violent motion
: to injure (a part of your body) by making a violent twisting motion
: to take (something) by using force

wrench

noun

Definition of wrench for English Language Learners

: a tool consisting of a handle with one end designed to hold, twist, or turn an object (such as a bolt or nut)
: a violent twisting or pulling movement
: something unpleasant that happens and that causes you to feel emotional pain

WRENCH Defined for Kids

wrench

play

verb \ ˈrench \

Definition of wrench for Students

wrenched; wrenching

1 :to pull or twist with sudden sharp force

He wrenched a branch from the tree.

2 :to injure by a sudden sharp twisting or straining

I wrenched my knee.

wrench

noun

Definition of wrench for Students

1 :a tool used in turning nuts or bolts

2 :a violent twist to one side or out of shape

3 :an injury caused by twisting or straining :sprain

Medical Dictionary

wrench

play

transitive verb \ ˈrench \

medical Definition of wrench

:to injure or disable by a violent twisting or straining

slipped and wrenched her back

wrench

noun

medical Definition of wrench

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

Learn More about wrench

See words that rhyme with wrench Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wrench Spanish Central: Translation of wrench Nglish: Translation of wrench for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wrench for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wrench

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wrench

Definition of wrench

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First Known Use of wrench

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Definition of wrench for English Language Learners

wrench

Definition of wrench for English Language Learners

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wrench

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wrench

Definition of wrench for Students

Medical Dictionary

wrench

medical Definition of wrench

wrench

medical Definition of wrench

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