wrenched

verb

past tense of wrench
1
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

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2
as in damaged
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure wrenched her shoulder by all of that heavy lifting

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in yanked
to separate or remove by forceful pulling wrenched the post out of the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
  1. pulled
  2. yanked
  3. tugged
  4. tore
  5. jerked
  6. grabbed
  7. plucked
  8. ripped
Verb
  • Ivan Fedorov, co-chair of the regional defense council, said 12 bodies pulled from the rubble had been identified so far.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Someone got out of the front passenger seat of the car, walked around the back of the vehicle, pulled a gun out of the pocket of his hoodie, and fired four shots into the front driver's side window.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 4 Nov. 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
  • One of the officers grabbed a protester who was filming him and deployed pepper spray after a brief struggle.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The story grabbed worldwide attention and ended tragically when the baby’s body was found in the woods just a few miles from home.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 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
  • Old walls that once separated the exam rooms have been ripped down, leaving a large open space.
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee Updated November 2, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Roughly two months after fire ripped through Newhall’s historic downtown, four people are under arrest, accused of arson and conspiracy in the devastating blaze.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of ripped

Browse Nearby Words

wrench
wrenched
wrenches
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Cite this Entry

“Wrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenched. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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