wrench
Americanverb (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.
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wrenchsimple
-
wrenchessimple
-
have wrenchedperfect
-
has wrenchedperfect
-
am wrenchingprogressive
-
are wrenchingprogressive
-
is wrenchingprogressive
-
have been wrenchingperfect progressive
-
has been wrenchingperfect progressive
Past
-
wrenchedsimple
-
had wrenchedperfect
-
was wrenchingprogressive
-
were wrenchingprogressive
-
had been wrenchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wrench
before 1050; Middle English wrenchen (v.), Old English wrencan to twist, turn; cognate with German renken
Explanation
To wrench means to grab or pull something with a lot of physical force. See this teddy bear? If you want it, you’ll have to wrench it out of my hands, because I’m not willing to give it up. Maybe you have a wrench at home, that is, a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or a pipe joint. If so, you also have a great way to remember what wrench the verb means. Just imagine you're twisting with a wrench, except instead of using a tool, you’re using your hands. If something is heart wrenching, it makes you feel very sad. If you wrench a part of your body, you strain, pull or twist it, injuring yourself in some way.
Vocabulary lists containing wrench
100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Maniac Magee
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Prisoner B-3087
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But when Pína and Hawk arrive, their presence throws a wrench in a union that’s already on the fritz.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
That worked until the Iran war threw a wrench in gold’s momentum, with rising oil prices raising worries about inflation and expectations for Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
"These are everyday working-class women living on the edge of a country and it's incredibly important we try and wrench women out of the shadows."
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Demand for summer air travel is holding up well despite airlines hiking ticket prices, although possible shortages of jet fuel could throw a wrench in the key travel period, an industry trade body said Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
So while he slept I went down to the barn, got from my father’s workshop a wrench, a pliers, a screwdriver, and a hammer, and went to work.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
At every turn, it shows its people trusting each other, taking care of each other, and dealing with the unexpected wrenches and scripts that would break most devices.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
One casualty was a Texas plant built to make Craftsman-brand wrenches and ratchet sets that had been coming from China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
The space is a horseshoe-shaped echo of Wool’s work — raw, agitated — and the restless elegance he wrenches from a feeling of decay.
From New York Times ● May 2, 2024
Spokespeople for the Insurance Information Institute and the Personal Insurance Federation of California regularly opine to reporters that Rosenfield, Balber and the group’s president, Jamie Court, are wrenches in the underwriting machinery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
Simpsons Basement used to be bargain clothes and wrenches.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
With Sinner out and Carlos Alcaraz skipping the clay-court major with injury, Djokovic will be left wondering if his best opportunity of winning that elusive 25th Grand Slam has been wrenched from his grasp.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
While the S&P 500 has wrenched up and down but gone pretty much nowhere this year, international, emerging-market, small stocks and value stocks have taken off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
Now we know with painful clarity what it is to be wrenched from our homes.
From Slate ● Feb. 6, 2025
He dove into the waves and wrenched us back aboard somehow.
From Salon ● May 11, 2024
He approached a nondescript door and wrenched it open.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Speaking that same year, Miliband told BBC Political Thinking he was still recovering from what he labelled a "gut wrenching" defeat that was "in many ways" a personal rejection of him.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
This wrenching documentary takes place on a Florida cul-de-sac where kids play outside from dawn till dusk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
Pescatore said D’Amaro has a major advantage in that the company Iger leaves behind is well positioned for the wrenching changes facing the current media landscape.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 3, 2026
It was enough of a trend that Glaser joked about an area of the audience represented by “Hamnet” and other wrenching films, which she dubbed “traumatized woman alley.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
"Luh— Luh-un—" Suddenly, Zero made a horrible, wrenching noise as he doubled over and grabbed his stomach.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
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.
