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

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Etymology

Origin of wrench

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

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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

By precisely measuring that motion and the associated gravitational torque, the researchers could calculate one value for G. Torque is simply a twisting force, similar to the force used when turning a wrench.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

It would be an emotional wrench rather than a financial loss if he moves elsewhere.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Most people would vouch for specific items, such as a spare tire or a lug wrench, if they had limited choices on what to keep in their car every day.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

But when Pína and Hawk arrive, their presence throws a wrench in a union that’s already on the fritz.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Art headed through it with the screwdriver, wrench, and sledgehammer clutched in one hand.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

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

Every trade show, whether promoting wrenches or weathervanes, is a vibrant advertisement for capitalism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

More wrenches were thrown into the process when Juan Soto’s record signing with the New York Mets created new potential suitors in Hernández’s free agency, as the next-best free-agent outfielder on the open market.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2024

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

Travis wiggled underneath with a set of wrenches.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Railroad lines and roads and bridges were wrenched away.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

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

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

I felt like my heart was being wrenched out of my chest.

From "Prisoner B-3087" by Alan Gratz

Because of ongoing health issues, Mike Leigh has said that this warm and wrenching drama will be his last movie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Aurich has spent his entire football life wrenching last-second victories from the jaws of defeat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

“We’re going to go through a fairly wrenching time.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 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

But the action was cut off by a loud wrenching sound from above, followed by the groan and squeal of hydraulics.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

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Related Words

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

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