wrench

1 of 2

verb

wrenched; wrenching; wrenches

intransitive verb

1
: to move with a violent twist
also : to undergo twisting
2
: to pull or strain at something with violent twisting

transitive verb

1
: to twist violently
2
: to injure or disable by a violent twisting or straining
wrenched her back
3
: change
especially : distort, pervert
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
wrenchingly adverb

wrench

2 of 2

noun

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)
3

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
Verb
The mind may concoct heart wrenching scenarios in which the breakup never happened, or where there’s still a chance to salvage the relationship. Mark Travers, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Two years of wrenching tech layoffs have weighed down the Bay Area’s job market in a big way — but experts say the impact has been somewhat mitigated by an industry realignment that’s led to significant hiring even as thousands of positions have been cut. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024 Atop a base of black sheath dresses, coats and jackets were wrenched off the shoulder and blossomed over the hips in a New Look-on-steroids silhouette; exaggerated Poiret dresses ballooned to the calves; and intarsia ravens and roses were scattered over it all. Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Israel left Gaza in 2005, uprooting families and wrenching the country into an impassioned debate along the way. TIME, 12 Oct. 2023 Judging by motifs of the past, some years the commercials are downright weird, while other eras the bulk focused on heart wrenching sentimentality. Rob Ledonne, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 As the ruling Nigerien junta consolidates its grip on power, the Biden administration now faces wrenching new challenges in its fight against Islamist militants in Africa. Eric Schmitt Carmen Abd Ali, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2024 But the museum — whose building is meant to evoke the architecture of a death camp — has tried in a sweeping $31 million redesign of its core exhibition to reflect fresh perspectives in an age of social media on how best to remember and understand wrenching historical events. Ralph Blumenthal, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 At the time, the only folks who could wrench on an AMG engine were in Affalterbach, where AMG mills were made. Sean Evans, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2024
Noun
Unfortunately, the seller’s agent is throwing a wrench in the plan. Pat Kapowich, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 The weather wildcard could throw a wrench into solar eclipse viewing plans, which is why many people will flock to Texas where cloud cover is not so prominent, according to USA Today. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Dueling strikes in 2023 by the actors' and writers' guilds, while worthy, threw a wrench into film production and distribution. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Several political scientists said Kennedy's campaign could throw a wrench into this fall's presidential race, which is expected to pit President Joe Biden against former President Donald Trump. USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024 After watching a mechanic tighten bolts with a power wrench, Lazo applied the same wrench technique to billiard table bolts. Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2024 Michigan was transformed from an agrarian state into one where virtually anyone willing to hoist a wrench could earn enough in a factory to buy a home and take the family on vacation — often, behind the wheel of a Ford. Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2024 One of the first collections devoted to caulking guns and wrenches opened in Berkeley, Calif., in 1979, The Washington Post previously reported. Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 Throwing another wrench in the debate plans is the Republican National Committee, which withdrew from the Commission on Presidential Debates in 2022. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wrench.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English wrencan; akin to Old High German renken to twist and perhaps to Latin vergere to bend, incline

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrench was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wrench

Cite this Entry

“Wrench.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrench. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wrench

1 of 2 verb
1
: to move with a violent twist
2
: to pull, strain, or tighten with violent twisting or force
3
: to injure by a violent twisting or straining
wrenched my knee while playing football
4
: to snatch forcibly : wrest

wrench

2 of 2 noun
1
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)

More from Merriam-Webster on wrench

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!