1
as in twists
a forceful rotating or pulling motion for the purpose of dislodging something
with a sharp wrench of the hammer I pulled the nail from the board
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in tugs
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
with one final hard wrench I was able to pull the cork from the bottle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pulls
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
2
3
as in tears
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 wrenches
Jane Bua, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
With all these features and a unique design that eliminates all the rattling and imprecise grips of conventional wrenches, this tool could find frequent use in your workshop.
—New Atlas, 18 May 2026
Engineers constantly tweak the system to throw new (virtual) wrenches in the cogs to keep its Super Cruise as up to date as possible with the oddest and unlikeliest scenarios.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2026
There are two tire changers, front side and rear side, who use air wrenches to loosen the single lug nut on the old tires and tighten the lug on the new tires.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Eight days after panels were removed by National Park Service staff using crowbars and wrenches, dozens of people packed a federal courtroom to hear arguments from the city of Philadelphia and the federal government.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjustable wrenches can round off the bolt head, making removal more difficult, Mansfield says.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 15 Jan. 2026
At a minimum, keep a multi-tool, a few wrenches, and a pair of pliers in it.
—Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Takahashi’s story delights in throwing more and more wrenches in the works with a growing cast of chaotic supporting characters (like the vicious Shampoo and the blowhard Tatewaki Kuno), and the anime adapts their antics as pastel-toned slapstick.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
In the sober light of day, Arthur takes one look at the leach before him and wrenches it from its prey.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
The director wrenches apart Ibsen’s terse and precise mechanism and makes room for a proliferation of arresting moments—caught on the wing in wide-screen images, thanks to Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography—that balance tragedy and horror with excitement and wonder.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Gudsen, unmasked earlier as one of the two serial arsonists she's been hunting, unbuckles her seat belt and wrenches the wheel, sending them into a crash designed to kill her.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
Unpredictable hours, loud noises, finicky clients, wrenches, needles.
—Jane Bua, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
With all these features and a unique design that eliminates all the rattling and imprecise grips of conventional wrenches, this tool could find frequent use in your workshop.
—New Atlas, 18 May 2026
Engineers constantly tweak the system to throw new (virtual) wrenches in the cogs to keep its Super Cruise as up to date as possible with the oddest and unlikeliest scenarios.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2026
There are two tire changers, front side and rear side, who use air wrenches to loosen the single lug nut on the old tires and tighten the lug on the new tires.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Eight days after panels were removed by National Park Service staff using crowbars and wrenches, dozens of people packed a federal courtroom to hear arguments from the city of Philadelphia and the federal government.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjustable wrenches can round off the bolt head, making removal more difficult, Mansfield says.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 15 Jan. 2026
At a minimum, keep a multi-tool, a few wrenches, and a pair of pliers in it.
—Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Takahashi’s story delights in throwing more and more wrenches in the works with a growing cast of chaotic supporting characters (like the vicious Shampoo and the blowhard Tatewaki Kuno), and the anime adapts their antics as pastel-toned slapstick.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
And thus the audience is stuck with this scenario, which complicates in intensity and with a linguistic relish that has its funny moments (for some, anyway), but also features a lot of crudity that really wrenches you away from the typical landscape of the classy, urban American farce.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
In the sober light of day, Arthur takes one look at the leach before him and wrenches it from its prey.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
The director wrenches apart Ibsen’s terse and precise mechanism and makes room for a proliferation of arresting moments—caught on the wing in wide-screen images, thanks to Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography—that balance tragedy and horror with excitement and wonder.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Gudsen, unmasked earlier as one of the two serial arsonists she's been hunting, unbuckles her seat belt and wrenches the wheel, sending them into a crash designed to kill her.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenches
Noun
-
Despite the surge of trendy braids, old-school looks, like flat twists, boneless braids, and cornrows, also have a strong presence this summer, especially among those interested in length retention and damage repair.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
18 June 2026
-
For all its twists, where the series is headed is never in doubt.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
In contrast to conventional airport tugs, the electric TaxiBot is controlled directly by the pilot from the cockpit.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
-
Its tech is being used to power the world’s first electric tugs that are about to go into service at the Port of Long Beach, under a deal worth $160 million announced in late 2025.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Shoppers are gravitating toward scents that double as emotional rituals, whether that means a warm vanilla, a sweet caramel or a fruit-and-cream gourmand that pulls double duty as a comfort scent.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
-
The Ed Sullivan Theater, the crowd is full, the curtain pulls, people are cheering, and David Letterman walks out.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Peppler tears big chunks of it off and passes it around for everyone to try, before illustrating the culinary importance of a good pissaladière.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
When a battery dies, the industry routinely tears it apart to access the parts that matter.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The yanks are coming, the yanks are coming!—
Kirk Bowman,
The Conversation,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
But the emotional gravity of this offering's deeply personal, melancholic lyrical content plucks an undeniably profound chord that uniquely separates it from the rest of his work.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The design is what grabs your attention at first sight.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 12,
New Atlas,
12 June 2026
-
The goal is to have a welcoming environment that grabs visitors' attention.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
After Game 4, jerks were throwing things at Victor Wembanyama.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
-
Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media.—
William Earl,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrenches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenches. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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