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 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 Experts believe the crown’s flexible mount was strained when thieves wrenched it from its display through a narrow slot cut by the angle grinder, according to a report by the Louvre. — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026 And yet so much of the film community’s focus has been wrenched out of the past into an urgent present and uncertain future. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenched

Verb

Berkeley police said the long object Shrine pulled from his pocket while following Winograd into her apartment building was believed to be a barbecue lighter.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Saints follows Lali, a drifter and a thief, who is pulled back to Barcelona to face and care for her estranged mother Gloria.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of pulled

Verb

Brewers starter Dustin May gave up three runs and six hits before being yanked with one out in the third.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
In recent conversations with The Athletic, two coaches with deep affection for their alma mater described having the Camp Randall rug yanked from underneath them.

— Tim Graham, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of yanked

Verb

The half-hour series is a dark revenge comedy about Emma and Eli, old friends who reconnect after a long estrangement and find new purpose in taking down the man who tore them apart.

— Peter White, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Ego Death wasn’t the first time that Williams tore herself apart and pulled herself back together through song.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of tore

Verb

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
Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

Chicago police said a man approached each victim from behind, wrapped his arms around them and then grabbed their breasts and groin area over their clothes before fleeing the area.

— Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Hardy avoided a collision, but Showalter grabbed him and swung him off his bicycle, the lawsuit said.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Verb

Those also turned to boos on Strand’s first NFL pass, which Horn deflected and Lloyd plucked out of the air at close range.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2026
According to Anderson, a key part of the Patriots’ winning formula was Brady’s sense that Belichick had plucked him from obscurity.

— Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of plucked

Verb

At least one restroom was also heavily damaged, with sinks and barriers ripped from the walls.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Farsi, from a step inside the penalty box on the right side, ripped a low shot past goalkeeper Sébastian Breza and inside the back post to open the scoring in the 57th minute.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of ripped

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“Wrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenched. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of wrenched

verb

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