wrench
verb (used with object)
to twist suddenly and forcibly; pull, jerk, or force by a violent twist.
was wrenching
-
past progressiveof wrench.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The decision was wrenching, Tokuda-Hall said, but she turned Scholastic down and went public, describing her predicament in a blog post and a Twitter post that drew more than five million views.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2023
While it was good to be all together, Kulcsar said the decision to flee was wrenching.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2022
And her take on “Sein wir wieder gut” from Strauss’s “Ariadne auf Naxos” was wrenching and resonant on multiple levels; her declaration of music as a sacred art sung with the passion of a hymn.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2021
The experience was wrenching for Keller and proved to her early on just how easy the same people who had put her on a pedestal found it to turn on her.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2021
Donovan was wrenching at the door wildly, when Powell was only half through.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
