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 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 As the plane twisted upward, the air pressure wrenched off another tail fin. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 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 In a moment when even humanitarian work around these regions can be wrenched by bad-faith political agendas, Mustafa’s framing of the purpose of Saturday’s show was savvy and measured. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026 And Ahmed al-Ahmed, who came to Australia from Syria in 2006, a former policeman who now owns a fruit stand at Bondi Beach, tackled one of the gunmen and wrenched the rifle from him, even as he was wounded himself. — Scott Simon, NPR, 20 Dec. 2025 The man then tackled the shooter and wrenched the gun away from him. — Anders Hagstrom , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025 In the video, one officer wrenched the bathroom door open. — Idaho Statesman, 14 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenched

Verb

Cape Verde almost pulled the biggest upset in World Cup history.

— Rod Beard, AJC.com, 4 July 2026
Garibay’s one-handed save denied Jonathan Ricketts a sure goal in the 64th minute, and Moon pulled a 30-yard opportunity off a poor corner kick clearance just wide left.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 3 July 2026

Definition of pulled

Verb

Then, five days after the best start of his young MLB career coincided with one of his worst moments, he was yanked after just 2 1/3 innings in Sunday’s 11-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

— Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Winco also yanked about 13,500 Roman Candles 8 Shot 3-Pack Firework Devices.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026

Definition of yanked

Verb

The border shifted and changed hands here at least four times in the 19th century and a fifth time in the 20th, tugged south by war and treaty, peace talks and purchases.

— Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2026
In bringing a piece of her mother to the event, Obama tugged at a feeling that many will relate to – wishing a late family member could be with you during life’s milestone moments.

— Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 17 June 2026

Definition of tugged

Verb

Bigger and bigger crowds flocked down here as Mexico tore through the Cup before its face-off against England, with many coming from outside Santa Ana.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Later, Gabriel tore Haaland’s shirt, the light-blue fabric trailing in the breeze as the pair chased a loose ball.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of tore

Verb

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
Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.

— Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

In the past, studios have plucked influencers from their online niche and slotted them into whatever mainstream production needed a face.

— Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Every individual tea leaf grown at Wild Orchard is plucked by hand, totaling about 100 kilograms per day during peak harvest season.

— Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of plucked

Verb

Now, there are other less, kind of, ripped-from-the-headlines cases.

— Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026
As a result of low demand and a decline in sales, California producers ripped out nearly 40,000 acres of vines, according to a 2025 report from the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG).

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 9 July 2026

Definition of ripped

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“Wrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenched. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of wrenched

verb

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