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
Relevance
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
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
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
-
After the network successfully pulled together a motley crew of Real Housewives offspring and their Manhattan socialite friends last year, the gang is back for a second season in the city.
-
Arraez pulled a 1-1 curveball from the Athletics’ Aaron Civale off the top of his right foot and collapsed to the ground in pain.
Verb
-
Within days of its release, Anthropic’s most sophisticated public AI model was abruptly yanked from customers.
-
With two outs and a runner on, Sasaki yanked a splitter to the inside edge of the strike zone to Gunnar Henderson, who lifted it over the wall in right field.
Verb
-
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.
-
One weekend last November it was tugged around the harbor wrapped in a pink Nike ad.
Verb
-
The May 28 fire tore through a dormitory housing 202 students at the Utumishi Girls School in central Kenya, and students were forced to flee through a single doorway when the school matron failed to open an emergency exit.
-
Ultimately, the partnership didn’t work out, as Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon in the 2025 playoffs.
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.
-
Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.
Verb
-
Forward Natasha Howard scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lynx (12-3), who have won 10 of their past 11 games.
-
Police said one officer grabbed his gun and another grabbed his taser.
Verb
-
Miami plucked a top prospect out of North Miami Beach on Sunday evening.
-
The charming restaurant serves hyper-local cuisine, with many ingredients plucked straight from the gardens.
Verb
-
Police alleged that Love ripped a credit card reader from its mount and threw it at the employee, striking her in the head and breaking her glasses.
-
Perhaps the police ripped it from me that time on Merrion Square.
Cite this Entry
“Wrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenched. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
