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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
3
as in to yank
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
wrenched the post out of the ground
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wrench
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
The game is played in UK English, so this could throw a little wrench into things for non-Brits.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Terri, a terrier mix pup with soulful eyes, may come off as shy at first, but that’s for a reason, the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a heart wrenching Facebook post.
—Tj MacIas, Miami Herald, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wrench
Noun
With Rip Torn hurling wrenches at people and Christine Taylor rejecting Stiller’s pathetic advances, this slapstick comedy checks every box of the sports-movie formula and does it pretty damn well.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
The game is played in UK English, so this could throw a little wrench into things for non-Brits.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
And yet the extent of the common language for emotional and physical pain is itself remarkable: crushing sadness, pangs of guilt, wrenching news, the need for something to kill the pain.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Terri, a terrier mix pup with soulful eyes, may come off as shy at first, but that’s for a reason, the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a heart wrenching Facebook post.
—Tj MacIas, Miami Herald, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wrench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrench
Noun
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Classic American specialties with Native American twists at Bluff Dwellings Resort. 2625 S. U.S. 191, Bluff, Utah.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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In an ironic twist, Powell, acquired last month from the Los Angeles Clippers, recently paid Highsmith to acquire Highsmith’s No. 24 that Powell had worn at his previous NBA stops in Toronto, Portland and Los Angeles.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Most exoplanetary discoveries instead arise through far more indirect means, such as the dip in a star’s light caused by a world passing between its sun and our telescope or the tiny wobbling of a star caused by an orbiting planet’s gravitational tug.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
7 Aug. 2025
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The nearby fire department rushed by boat to the crash site and were assisted by a private tug boat that helped douse the fire that belched black smoke from the barge, said Alton Deputy Fire Chief Matt Fischer.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Brands began to pull together resources to support refugees.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
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The 13-minute performance will likely call for a healthy dose of vibrant, colored lighting to pull it all together.—
Kelly Allen,
House Beautiful,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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About half of them worked to yank the women off each other while the rest cordoned off the scene with outstretched arms.—
Ella McCarthy,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Starbucks yanked its full-year forecast in October, shortly after Niccol took the reins of the company and months before Smith joined.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Kaitlyn Santa Juana plays a college student who learns that her grandmother cheated Death decades ago, and now that jerk is coming to take out her whole family via various creatively gnarly, Rube Goldberg-esque kills.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
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Mid-performance, the prop jerks downward after slipping from its wire, causing a drop that nearly unseats her.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
19 July 2025
Verb
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The kids proceed to chase her through town before mercilessly tearing her apart.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
8 Aug. 2025
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If Ennis moves up too quickly and has a bad outing against a top fighter at 154, fans and critics will not hesitate to tear him apart.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Four prisoners had to take turns using a bunk bed just to grab a few hours of sleep.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
18 Aug. 2025
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But Sunday, unfortunately for him, slipped away quickly as World No. 1 grabbed his fifth season title.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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His left leg, almost ripped from his body, was held in place only by thin tissue.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
18 Aug. 2025
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Nothing rips me out of the ‘cassette futurism’ of this franchise more than clips from a movie that released in 2002.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrench. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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