WRENCHED Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

wrenched

verb

past tense of wrench

as in pulled

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

Relevance

as in damaged

to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure wrenched her shoulder by all of that heavy lifting

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in yanked

to separate or remove by forceful pulling wrenched the post out of the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattached

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of wrenched The bit caught a pipe strap and wrenched him off a ladder, tearing off his thumb and mangling his hand. — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026 The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, after passengers stormed the cockpit and wrenched back controlfrom the attacker, who Israeli officials suspect was trying to crash the plane. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026 The driver wrenched the Jeep to the left, arm over arm churning at the wheel. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 After her Acura was rear-ended in May 2022, a car crash that wrenched her neck and back, Samantha Roper sought out a chiropractor. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026 The sibling drama, meanwhile, rather fades out of view amid these loftier goings-on; the film’s narrative begins to feel devised by the old parlor game Consequences, repeatedly wrenched in erratic new directions. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 Miriam had given her a heavy coat and wrenched open the silver door. — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026 On a moonless night, that Alpha team crept silently from the statue’s belly and wrenched open the gates of Troy, decisively ending the war in their favor. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026 Henley wrenched away from her mother's grip, turned, and darted up the stairs again, leaving Emily and Kate in startled silence. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenched

Verb

But Jamie Oleksiak pulled Vancouver within 5-3 just 31 seconds later.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Haynes, a 2024 third-round pick, made five starts this season, but the Seahawks pulled of a trade Tuesday for Indianapolis Colts perennial All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of pulled

Verb

The district secured $150 million in federal funding to fix the issue, but it was yanked back as part of cost-cutting efforts in 2025, then recently re-instated this year.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
With the wheels threatening to come off, Rays manager Kevin Cash yanked Seymour and put in Kevin Kelly.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of yanked

Verb

The wind tugged and shook the bomber, but the pilot held her steady.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
But already the thought tugged at me that the scales that had turned were not celestial, but legal, the workings of the same system condemned in the camp as corrupt and broken.

— J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of tugged

Verb

After the Norte fire tore through 570 acres across south Orange County, destroying many homes, everybody needed this.

— Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Haliburton tore his Achilles during Game 7 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City in June 2025 and missed the entire 2025-26 season.

— Peter Finney Jr, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of tore

Verb

During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

And when Buzelis grabbed that pass out of the air, double-clutching on his way to a dunk, the Bulls could hear for a moment the tune of a new future for this team.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Woodman also alleged that Andreatta grabbed Pagano’s hand and wrist.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Verb

Stars Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgard, Raymond Nicholson and Tom Francis as college football stars plucked from the height of their sports careers and into Marine training and the Pacific theater.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2026
Luckily for the man, having all of the adult worms plucked from his orbs meant the infection was over—no antiparasitic medication required, even if some of the larvae had been left behind.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of plucked

Verb

But after Vucic conceded defeat Sunday evening, ecstatic young revelers filled the streets of Belgrade and ripped down the cordons around the encampment known as Caciland.

— JOVANA GEC, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
But just two minutes later, LAFC’s Armindo Sieb ripped a shot off a counterattack and Bouanga chipped home the rebound for his 18th goal in 30 MLS matches this season.

— Greg Beacham, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of ripped

Browse Nearby Words

wrench

wrenched

wrenches

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenched. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of wrenched

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

candidate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes