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

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.

Example Sentences

In 1985, he commissioned an R. Crumb-illustrated edition of “The Monkey Wrench Gang,” Abbey’s cult novel about a ragtag crew of eco-saboteurs waging war on bulldozers, dams and the American West’s development boom.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

Andrew Wrench, from Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, was unsuccessful in his legal bid against finance firms after he noticed a commission payment "buried" in his contract two years ago.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025

In time, more mines yielded up gold, mines with names such as Bully Boy, King Solomon, Napoleon and Monkey Wrench.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2025

Mr Wrench has since spoken about how shocked he was at the impact of the ruling, but it was the principle of fairness that fired him up.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2024

When Edward Abbey was writing The Monkey Wrench Gang, his picaresque novel about eco-terrorism in the canyon country, his pal Ken Sleight was said to have inspired the character Seldom Seen Smith.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

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