wrench

[rench]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wrench ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Origin of wrench

before 1050; Middle English wrenchen (v.), Old English wrencan to twist, turn; cognate with German renken

Related formswrench·er, nounwrench·ing·ly, adverbout·wrench, verb (used with object)un·wrenched, adjective

Can be confusedranch wrench

Synonyms for wrench

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wrench ON THESAURUS.COM

4. distort, twist, warp.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for wrench

wrest, tweak, distort, rip, bend, dislocate, wring, sprain, yank, dislodge, pull, pervert, rend, screw, tear, pinch, compel, coerce, contort, twist

Examples from the Web for wrench

Contemporary Examples of wrench

Hillary Clinton, he argues, throws a wrench into the system.
The Most Annoying Myth in Politics
Jamelle Bouie
February 24, 2014
Now the government of President François Hollande is throwing a wrench into the American rush toward peace with Iran.
Why France Is to Blame for Blocking the Iran Nuclear Agreement
Christopher Dickey
November 10, 2013
Factories were hiring anyone who could breathe and turn a wrench.
The Federal Government Should Hire the Long-Term Unemployed
Megan McArdle
March 8, 2013
Should we see David Lee (Zach Grenier) as the wrench in the works at Lockhart & Associates?
‘The Good Wife’: Robert and Michelle King on Alicia, Kalinda, Renewal Prospects, and More
Jace Lacob
March 12, 2012
Even one minor glitch and the machine could wrench itself out of his control.
Reno’s Reckless Air Tragedy
Clive Irving
September 17, 2011

Historical Examples of wrench

Oh, the wrench to the mother's heart at the thought of what she could foresee!
Johnny Bear
E. T. Seton
S'pose that fellar should rise up, an' wrench off them bars!
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
Abruptly she fell on her knees, caught his hand and kissed it before he could wrench it from her.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini
The wrench upon it had already pulled the bodkin from the wainscot.
The Historical Nights Entertainment, Second Series
Rafael Sabatini
Then tighten the sealing nuts with the special Exide wrench.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte

British Dictionary definitions for wrench

wrench

verb

to give (something) a sudden or violent twist or pull esp so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attachedto 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 jawsSee also torque wrench

Word Origin for wrench

Old English wrencan; related to Old High German renken, Lithuanian rangyti to twist. See wrinkle 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for wrench

Old English wrencan "to twist," from Proto-Germanic *wrankijanan (cf. Old High German renken, German renken "to twist, wrench," Old English wringan "to wring"), from PIE *wreng- "to turn" (cf. Sanskrit vrnakti "turns, twists," Lithuanian rengtis "to grow crooked, to writhe"), nasalized variant of *werg- "to turn" (cf. Latin vergere "to turn, tend toward"), from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus). Related: Wrenched, wrenching.

Old English wrenc "a twisting, artifice, trick;" see wrench (v.). The meaning "tool with jaws for turning" is first recorded 1794.

Idioms and Phrases with wrench

wrench

see throw a monkey wrench.