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
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
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Recent Examples of wrenched
Nellie wrenched her knees closer to her body, began rocking.
—
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 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
Sirens wailed and gunshots rang out as the two men grappled for several seconds, before Ahmed wrenched the gun from the attacker’s hands.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 15 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
Phillips drove a Green Bay Packers tight end backward, latched onto running back Josh Jacobs with his long left arm and wrenched Jacobs downward.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
But this just shows you how every debate there is wrenched into this absurdist distortion.
—Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 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
Sirens wailed and gunshots rang out as the two men grappled for several seconds, before Ahmed wrenched the gun from the attacker’s hands.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 15 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
Phillips drove a Green Bay Packers tight end backward, latched onto running back Josh Jacobs with his long left arm and wrenched Jacobs downward.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
But this just shows you how every debate there is wrenched into this absurdist distortion.
—Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenched
Verb
-
The city has now pulled its offer to purchase the new facility and has no plans to pursue any other properties for such purposes.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Another child, a toddler, died at a Virginia hospital after being pulled from a frigid pond Monday, according to local police.—
Russ Bynum,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On game night, Lavrenov was the one who threw elbows, threw down dunks and yanked down rebounds and threw outlet passes to start the fast break.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Eventually, she is yanked from the car while still tangled in her seat belt.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Heartstrings are tugged as what appear to be hardworking, hard-loving individuals receive aesthetic and material upgrades.—
Rich Juzwiak,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The penalty was awarded following a VAR check by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala after Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal fullback El Hadji Malick Diouf while defending a corner five minutes into stoppage time.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Kim tore her labrum in early January but has been cleared to compete in Livigno.—
Michelle Bruton,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
On the day the hotel in Beirut was due to launch in August 2020, an ammonium-nitrate explosion tore through the city, bringing much of the area to rubble and tragically killing more than 200 people.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Baer grabbed the arms of his chair and began to stand.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
It was rapidly removed, but an image of the listing was grabbed ahead of that.—
Andrew Williams,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dosunmu plucked the ball away after it was fumbled by Norman Powell, who crashed to the ground as Matas Buzelis blew past him.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
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The 2009 drama was based on Michael Lewis’ 2006 book of the same name, which tracked the story of football star Michael Oher, who was plucked from homelessness and poverty when taken in by wealthy couple Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Materials consistent with homemade explosives and fireworks were found at the site of an explosion and fire that ripped through an apartment building in Los Angeles County, killing a teenager, a report said.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
People are getting ripped from their cars!—
Angela Pelster,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenched. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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