Synonyms of wrenches

wrenches 1 of 2

noun

plural of wrench

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

• twists
• twistings
• tugs
• pulls
• yanks
• extractions
• displacements
• draws
• dislocations
• drafts

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

• tugs
• pulls
• yanks
• jerks
• hauls
• draws
• plucks
• grabs
• tows
• hitches
• snatches
• twitches
• drags

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pushes
• thrusts
• heaves
• shoves

wrenches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of wrench

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

• pulls
• tugs
• yanks
• twists
• plucks
• jerks
• wrings
• wrests
• removes
• pries
• levers
• lugs
• extracts
• tweaks
• draws
• dredges (up)
• dislocates
• shifts
• transposes
• displaces
• jimmies
• disturbs
• budges
• transfers

2

as in bruises

to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure

wrenched her shoulder by all of that heavy lifting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pulls
• bruises
• damages
• racks
• hurts
• strains
• stretches
• weakens
• tears
• taxes
• wounds
• harms
• impairs
• frays
• cripples
• batters
• lames
• mangles
• mutilates

3

as in tears

to separate or remove by forceful pulling

wrenched the post out of the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tears
• grabs
• yanks
• rips
• pulls
• snatches
• wrests
• pries
• seizes
• extracts
• snaps (up)
• forces
• cuts (off)
• severs
• jerks
• uproots
• amputates
• prizes
• nips
• nabs
• dissevers
• lops (off)
• roots (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattaches

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wrenches

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

This wrenches the chromosomes apart into two sets and reels them to opposite ends of the cytoplasm sea. — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 29 June 2026

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