wrung 1 of 2

Definition of wrungnext

wrung

2 of 2

verb

past tense of wring
1
as in squeezed
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats that bill collector is willing to do anything to wring money out of deadbeats

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
as in earned
to get with great difficulty after years of trying to wring a decent profit out of the business, he is finally giving up

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3
4
as in pried
to draw out by force or with effort willing to use torture if necessary in order to wring the information out of the terrorist

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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 wrung
Verb
Decades of warming have wrung many parts of the US dry. Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2026 Cover the area with a kitchen towel that has been soaked in hot water and then wrung out. Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026 Most of the excess labor cost was wrung out during the depths of the rolling recession, aligning wage expenses with profitability and setting up businesses to benefit disproportionately from any top-line improvement. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025 Brain wrung like a sponge every rinse cycle. Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 The truth is, even the words wrung from the damp cloth can be trustworthy, too. Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025 The more there is, the more that can be wrung out by storms. Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025 Others wrung riches from the network; Berners-Lee assumed the mantle of moral authority, fighting to safeguard the web’s openness and promote equitable access. Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 But after logging three and half miles through Miami one sweltering evening this week, members wrung out sweaty shirts, chugged ice water and welcomed a soaking rain shower at the finish line. Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrung
Adjective
  • Forecasters said the parched conditions will continue through the spring.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
  • In Worcester, which lay more than 40 miles from the Charlestown line, a parched and dusty rider arrived at the square in front of the church, where his horse collapsed in exhaustion.
    Kostya Kennedy, Time, 16 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • When residents are this squeezed, City Hall’s predictable response has been to charge us more.
    Bradley Schnell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The 2012 draft brought a decent linebacker in Olivier Vernon and squeezed one 1,00-yard season from running back Lamar Miller.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The victory earned back-to-back state titles for Decatur.
    Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Most billionaires, including those named by Sanders, have earned their fortunes by producing values that consumers are willing to pay for.
    Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • While Democrats dominated the early voting numbers in Pulaski County -- one of the few heavily blue pockets of the state -- Democrats outnumbered Republicans in election day voting on Tuesday with 18,363 people casting Democratic ballots compared to the 10,500 who pulled ballots for Republicans.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Mar. 2026
  • The prosecutor alleged that Abril confronted the couple, at which point James MacEgan was shot and killed, before Abril grabbed MacEgan’s wife and pulled her into the creek.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The officers pried open the panel to free the woman, who was unable to get out of the tank on her own, according to the court records.
    Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Dónal Finn, the stars of Amazon’s reimagined Young Sherlock series, have been pried away from set to talk to The Hollywood Reporter.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Klinger recommends to steam it before marinating to reduce bitterness, and then grill, pan-sear, or crumble it into recipes.
    Jillian Kubala, Health, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Her sister’s sere hair went among the grasses; her head was full of the Child.
    Patricia Lockwood, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • Gonzales has denied the affair with the aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, and claims he's being extorted by her husband.
    Caroline Linton, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Nicole Curtis, the former HGTV star whose Rehab Addict show was canceled after a video surfaced of her using a racial slur, is now claiming she was being extorted.
    Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • When owner Nicholas Iwaniuk saw his dog Shadow, the half Australian shepherd, half Australian cattle dog tugged at her leash, charged forward and jumped into his arms.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
  • From life’s first moments, multiplying cells are squished, stretched, and tugged to form tissues that bend and twist into organs that expand and contract.
    Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wrung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrung. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

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