1
: to twist and squeeze (wet cloth, hair, etc.) to remove water
I wrung the towel and hung it up to dry.
I wrung my hair and wrapped it in a towel.
The rag was wrung dry. [=squeezed until almost all of the liquid was gone]
—often + outwring a sponge out
I wrung out my wet bathing suit.
—sometimes used figurativelyShe has been wrung dry by bills. [=she has no money left because she used all of it to pay bills]
2
: to get (something) out of someone or something with a lot of effort
—+ out of or from
They tried to wring [=squeeze] every last dollar of profit out of the failing company.
I finally managed to wring an apology from her.
3
: to twist and break (an animal's neck) in order to kill the animal
wring a chicken's neck
Cite this Entry
“Wring.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/wring. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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