wrench

American  

[rench] / rɛntʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to twist suddenly and forcibly; pull, jerk, or force by a violent twist.

   He wrenched the prisoner's wrist.

2. to overstrain or injure (the ankle, knee, etc.) by a sudden, violent twist.

   When she fell, she wrenched her ankle.

3. to affect distressingly as if by a wrench.

4. to wrest, as from the right use or meaning.

   to wrench the facts out of context.

   Synonyms:

   warp, twist, distort

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verb (used without object)

1. to twist, turn, or move suddenly aside.

   He wrenched away.

2. to give a wrench or twist at something.

noun

1. a wrenching movement; a sudden, violent twist.

   With a quick wrench, she freed herself.

2. a painful, straining twist, as of the ankle or wrist.

3. a sharp, distressing strain, as to the feelings.

4. a twisting or distortion, as of meaning.

5. 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 British  

/ rɛntʃ /

verb

1. 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

2. (tr) to twist suddenly so as to sprain (a limb)

   to wrench one's ankle

3. (tr) to give pain to

4. (tr) to twist from the original meaning or purpose

5. (intr) to make a sudden twisting motion

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noun

1. a forceful twist or pull

2. an injury to a limb, caused by twisting

3. sudden pain caused esp by parting

4. a parting that is difficult or painful to make

5. a distorting of the original meaning or purpose

6. a spanner, esp one with adjustable jaws See also torque wrench

wrench Idioms  

1. see throw a monkey wrench.

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Other Word Forms

• outwrench verb (used with object)
• unwrenched adjective
• wrencher noun
• wrenchingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of wrench

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

Example Sentences

These days he owns his own tools, like specialized torque wrenches—required by Ford—that cost up to $800 apiece.

From The Wall Street Journal

The workers’ uniforms are smudged with stains earned underneath a car, wrench in hand.

From Los Angeles Times

But over the next half-century, her emotionally wrenching performances would turn her into an Oscar winner, while her idiosyncratic personal style made her a touchstone to generations of American women.

From The Wall Street Journal

While the central meaning of all this has yet to be revealed, Seehorn’s performance of Carol’s obstinate loneliness is wrenchingly genuine to anyone who has ever felt alone in a sea of smiling strangers.

From Salon

Osborne said he was leaving his current role at investment bank Evercore, which was a "huge wrench".

From BBC

Related Words

• bend
• dislocate
• distort
• rip
• sprain
• tweak
• wrest
• wring
• yank