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
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Torque wrenches are used to apply a specific amount of torque to a nut or bolt.
—Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
Washington — The roughly 20 plumbers of Oak Creek Plumbing & Remodeling in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area don’t just bring toolkits with wrenches, pliers and Teflon tape to customers’ homes these days.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
Hearts, bathrobes, skulls, hammers, wrenches, Pinocchio and self-portraits constantly reappear throughout his practice, each revisited with new intensity and meaning over time.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
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
As a woman whose dawning realization infests and wrenches apart her family, Collette turns in one of the most towering horror performances in memory.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Torque wrenches are used to apply a specific amount of torque to a nut or bolt.
—Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
Washington — The roughly 20 plumbers of Oak Creek Plumbing & Remodeling in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area don’t just bring toolkits with wrenches, pliers and Teflon tape to customers’ homes these days.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
Hearts, bathrobes, skulls, hammers, wrenches, Pinocchio and self-portraits constantly reappear throughout his practice, each revisited with new intensity and meaning over time.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
-
Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Then again, few people have careers with as many twists as American figure skater Alysa Liu.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These motorcycles were so well-built that they were even employed in both World Wars, mainly as dispatch bikes and sidecar tugs for the British armed forces.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Dec. 2025
-
The first, known as the radial velocity technique, looks for slight wobbles in the star’s position, as the gravity of an orbiting exoplanet tugs it one way and then the other.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Tankaneo Long Trench Coat A long trench instantly pulls any outfit together, and this one does it with a fresh, fashion-forward edge.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The cheese pulls everything together, giving it an extra salty and savory depth.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Whatever pulls them together may also be the thing that tears them apart.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
-
First released in 2020 on South Africa’s M-Net, a division of MultiChoice, and now a Canal Plus company, the thriller about how a family tears itself apart in a succession battle built a huge fandom in South Africa and fame abroad.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Judy yanks Mikey’s roller trunk out of the mud and leads him toward one of the nearby hiking trails.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
26 Nov. 2025
-
Suddenly, someone in the audience yanks her violently into the screaming mass of people.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But the sustained fury grabs you.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Today, artificial intelligence grabs headlines and AI stocks are soaring.—
Drew O’Connor,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Instead, the Engel-Jackson family is more run-of-the-mill awful — a recognizable pack of self-serving jerks more focused on the appearance of cheer than any real kindness.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
12 Dec. 2025
-
That rich people sure can be easily manipulable jerks?—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The dog jumps up and plucks the burger from her—a move that left viewers stunned and amused by the canine's flawless execution.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
-
There may be even greater reasons to put an ad that plucks the heartstrings in front of a broader crowd.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrenches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenches. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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