1
as in twist
a forceful rotating or pulling motion for the purpose of dislodging something
with a sharp wrench of the hammer I pulled the nail from the board
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2
as in tug
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
with one final hard wrench I was able to pull the cork from the bottle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to pull
to move by or as if by a forceful rotation
with one last sharp yank, he wrenched the lid off the bottle of ketchup
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2
3
as in to yank
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
wrenched the post out of the ground
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Examples of wrench in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024
This mini chainsaw comes with a chain, charger, wrench, and screwdriver.
—Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2024
Katherine Singh, refinery29.com, 8 Jan. 2024
The comedy is strong, and so are the sensitive scenes, and that’s all down to the specific cool people wrenching those emotions out of us.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for wrench 
Noun
In handing out gift boxes with a candlestick, revolver, rope, lead pipe, wrench and dagger, Mr. Boddy has set in motion a game that by the end will leave the mansion strewn with corpses.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024
This mini chainsaw comes with a chain, charger, wrench, and screwdriver.
—Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2024
Verb
Riverdale actor and first-time nominee Charles Melton, who wrenched our hearts in May December, lost to Robert Downey Jr for Best Supporting Actor despite being considered a shoo-in.
—Katherine Singh, refinery29.com, 8 Jan. 2024
The comedy is strong, and so are the sensitive scenes, and that’s all down to the specific cool people wrenching those emotions out of us.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for wrench
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wrench.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near wrench
Cite this Entry
“Wrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrench. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.
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