wring

verb

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\ ˈriŋ

wrung\ ˈrəŋ

\; wringing\ ˈriŋ-iŋ

Definition of wring

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

3a : 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

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Synonyms for wring

Synonyms

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 For late-night writers — whose job requires them to wring comedy out of an absurd and often horrifying news cycle, every single day — figuring out how to joke about Trump became the core challenge. — Megh Wright, Vulture, "What I Learned in the Late-Night Joke Mines," 19 Jan. 2021 But given the time needed for nightly tasks—melting snow for water, scraping ice off everything, and sleeping—there were no more hours to wring from the day. — Adventure, "The untold story of the boldest polar expedition of modern times," 23 Dec. 2020 The agency was supposed to wring the maximum amount of timber from the land. — Kiliii Yüyan, History & Culture, "‘There’s good fire and bad fire.’ An Indigenous practice may be key to preventing wildfires," 17 Dec. 2020 How much does anyone really need to wring their hands over the conference’s lack of a College Football Playoff contender, anyway? — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, "Being light at the top doesn’t reduce the fun of a chaotic Big 12 football season," 4 Nov. 2020 Investors seem especially pleased with the company’s efforts to wring more revenue out of American teens and 20-somethings. — Nicolás Rivero, Quartz, "Snapchat can thank India for its soaring stock price," 29 Dec. 2020 In a time of lumbering giants, simple slams and leg drops, Hart and Perfect were technical experts, professionals who prided themselves on their ability to wring captivating drama from even a house show in Alaska. — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, "A legendary 1989 WWF match in Anchorage is one of the last holy grails in pro wrestling," 28 Dec. 2020 Other hybrid models will emerge, especially as retailers wring delays out of the system, says Kirthi Kalyanam, executive director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University in California. — Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, "Why traditional retailers have the checkout blues," 14 Dec. 2020 Friday’s budget proposal is viewed by some at City Hall as an attempt to wring concessions from the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the rank-and-file police officers union. — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, "L.A. looking at layoffs for as many as 1,900 workers, including 951 police officers," 4 Dec. 2020

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