Advertisement
Advertisement
View synonyms for wrench
wrench
[ rench ]
verb (used with object)
- to twist suddenly and forcibly; pull, jerk, or force by a violent twist:
He wrenched the prisoner's wrist.
- to overstrain or injure (the ankle, knee, etc.) by a sudden, violent twist:
When she fell, she wrenched her ankle.
- to affect distressingly as if by a wrench.
- to wrest, as from the right use or meaning:
to wrench the facts out of context.
verb (used without object)
- to twist, turn, or move suddenly aside:
He wrenched away.
- to give a wrench or twist at something.
noun
- a wrenching movement; a sudden, violent twist:
With a quick wrench, she freed herself.
- a painful, straining twist, as of the ankle or wrist.
- a sharp, distressing strain, as to the feelings.
- a twisting or distortion, as of meaning.
- a tool for gripping and turning or twisting the head of a bolt, a nut, a pipe, or the like, commonly consisting of a bar of metal with fixed or adjustable jaws.
wrench
/ rɛntʃ /
verb
- to give (something) a sudden or violent twist or pull esp so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached
to wrench a door off its hinges
- tr to twist suddenly so as to sprain (a limb)
to wrench one's ankle
- tr to give pain to
- tr to twist from the original meaning or purpose
- intr to make a sudden twisting motion
noun
- a forceful twist or pull
- an injury to a limb, caused by twisting
- sudden pain caused esp by parting
- a parting that is difficult or painful to make
- a distorting of the original meaning or purpose
- a spanner, esp one with adjustable jaws See also torque wrench
Discover More
Other Words From
- wrencher noun
- wrenching·ly adverb
- outwrench verb (used with object)
- un·wrenched adjective
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of wrench1
before 1050; Middle English wrenchen (v.), Old English wrencan to twist, turn; cognate with German renken
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of wrench1
Old English wrencan; related to Old High German renken, Lithuanian rangyti to twist. See wrinkle 1
Discover More
Idioms and Phrases
see throw a monkey wrench .Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse