wrench

American  

[rench] / rɛntʃ /

verb (used with object)

• wrenches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wrenched,
  past participle,  past
• wrenching
  present participle

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)

• wrenches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wrenched,
  past participle,  past
• wrenching
  present participle

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

   He wrenched away.

2. to give a wrench or twist at something.

noun

• wrenches
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wrenches
  plural

Participles

• wrenching
  present
• wrenched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• wrench
  simple
• wrenches
  simple
• have wrenched
  perfect
• has wrenched
  perfect
• am wrenching
  progressive
• are wrenching
  progressive
• is wrenching
  progressive
• have been wrenching
  perfect progressive
• has been wrenching
  perfect progressive

Past

• wrenched
  simple
• had wrenched
  perfect
• was wrenching
  progressive
• were wrenching
  progressive
• had been wrenching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will wrench
  simple
• will have wrenched
  perfect
• will be wrenching
  progressive
• will have been wrenching
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

wrench wrenches wrenched wrenching

The yen’s slide to a 40-year low indirectly threatened to bump up U.S. interest rates and risked throwing a wrench in plans to pull billions of dollars of Japanese investment into the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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

But the broader pickup in pending listings should translate into more sales—if the recent rise in mortgage rates doesn’t throw a wrench in the works.

From Barron's ● May 26, 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

There was a bunch of tools gone: a chain saw, a drill set, a wrench set.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

The unnatural act of throwing a baseball still tears tendons and wrenches elbows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

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

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

This young man is so needy, so desperate to belong that it wrenches your heart to watch him; he watches Dickie and Marge like they’re a movie he wants to be in.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2024

“Here, let me at least grab these for you,” I say, as I take a few wrenches and store them in my pocket.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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

The film explores what’s funny — and terrifyingly truthful — about being wrenched into adulthood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025

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 touched the side of his face and then reached down and wrenched the twenty-four-footer into gear.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Rangers were obviously hoping reuniting McInnes with Lawrence Shankland would be a winning formula after they went so close to wrenching the title away from Celtic while at Hearts last season.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

Perhaps he came into the room, and she was kneeling on the floor, wrenching open the little crate in which the cupid was packed.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

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