wrenched; wrenching; wrenches
1
: to move with a violent twist
also
: to undergo twisting
2
: to pull or strain at something with violent twisting
1
: to twist violently
2
: to injure or disable by a violent twisting or straining
wrenched her back
4
a
: to pull or tighten by violent twisting or with violence
b
: to snatch forcibly : wrest
5
: to cause to suffer mental anguish : rack entry 2
1
a
: a violent twisting or a pull with or as if with twisting
b
: a sharp twist or sudden jerk straining muscles or ligaments
also
: the resultant injury (as of a joint)
c
: a distorting or perverting alteration
d
: acute emotional distress : sudden violent mental change
2
: a hand or power tool for holding, twisting, or turning an object (such as a bolt or nut)
Synonyms
Examples of wrench in a Sentence
Verb
I tried to wrench free from his grip.
I tried to wrench myself free from his grip.
He wrenched his back when he tried to lift a heavy box.
She wrenched the toy from his grasp.
The statue was wrenched from its pedestal.
Noun
It was a wrench to say goodbye to all my friends.
with a sharp wrench of the hammer I pulled the nail from the board
Recent Examples on the Web
Orval C. Johnson, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2024
Doc Odd does a penknife incision to the man’s neck (hate this) and brings him down to the sick bay to insert a tracheal tube and physically wrench his sternoclavicular joint back into place, which the nurses find very risky.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
An injury threw a wrench in the Twins’ starting pitching plans before the 2024 season even started.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wrench 
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Verb
Next she was wrenched the other way in a sickening, 180° roll, and one of the crew members tumbled down the almost-vertical deck and vanished in the sea.
—Orval C. Johnson, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2024
Doc Odd does a penknife incision to the man’s neck (hate this) and brings him down to the sick bay to insert a tracheal tube and physically wrench his sternoclavicular joint back into place, which the nurses find very risky.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
However, the weekend's throttle malfunction threw a wrench in his plans.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
An injury threw a wrench in the Twins’ starting pitching plans before the 2024 season even started.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wrench
Dictionary Entries Near wrench
Cite this Entry
“Wrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrench. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wrench
2 of 2 noun1
a
: a violent twisting or pull
b
: a sharp twist or sudden jerk that strains muscles or ligaments
also
: the injury caused by this
2
: a tool for holding, twisting, or turning (as nuts and bolts)
Medical Definition
wrench
1 of 2 transitive verb
: to injure or disable by a violent twisting or straining
slipped and wrenched her back
wrench
2 of 2 noun
: a sharp twist or sudden jerk straining muscles or ligaments
also
: the resultant injury (as of a joint)
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