wring

[ ring ]

/ rɪŋ /

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See synonyms for: wring / wrung on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), wrung, wring·ing.

to twist forcibly: He wrung the chicken's neck.

to twist and compress, or compress without twisting, in order to force out water or other liquid (often followed by out): to wring clothes.

to extract or expel by twisting or compression (usually followed by out or from).

to affect painfully by or as if by some contorting or compressing action.

to clasp tightly with or without twisting: to wring one's hands in pain.

to force (usually followed by off) by twisting.

to extract or get by forceful effort or means (often followed by out).

verb (used without object), wrung, wring·ing.

to perform the action of wringing something.

to writhe, as in anguish.

noun

a wringing; forcible twist or squeeze.

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Origin of wring

before 900; Middle English wringen,Old English wringan; cognate with German ringen to wrestle

OTHER WORDS FROM wring

outwring, verb (used with object), out·wrung, out·wring·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wring

ring, wring

Words nearby wring

wright, Wright brothers, Wright, Frank Lloyd, Wright, Richard, Wrigley, wring, wringer, wring together, wrinkle, wrinklies, wrinkly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wring in a sentence

Some things never change as we wring out the old year and ring in the new one.
New Year’s Eve, Babylon Style|Candida Moss|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To wring all that can be wrung from metaphor, note what our elected and appointed officials are not dressed as.
Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween|P. J. O’Rourke|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It would wring our gizzards intolerably to see so much good stuff going to waste.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This makes what Obama and John Kerry manage to wring out of the Russians in the next two days absolutely crucial.
Did Obama Just Change His Luck on Syria?|Michael Tomasky|September 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It could find other ways to wring costs of its operations, like using less packaging or electricity.
Sad Face at Walmart|Daniel Gross|May 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was difficult, with the mean appliances of the time, to wring subsistence from the reluctant earth.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
They like things on a small scale and know how to wring a dollar out of every five-cent piece.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Rinse it through a clean, lukewarm water; wring it lengthways, and stretch it well.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
If the latter, of course the owner could wring the cocks neck and the incident would be closed.
The Cradle of Mankind|W.A. Wigram
But unless he loses his voice before long I shall have to wring his neck—no easy job—or do without my usual amount of sleep.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur

British Dictionary definitions for wring

wring

/ (rɪŋ) /

verb wrings, wringing or wrung

(often foll by out) to twist and compress to squeeze (a liquid) from (cloth, etc)

(tr) to twist forciblywring its neck

(tr) to clasp and twist (one's hands), esp in anguish

(tr) to distresswring one's heart

(tr) to grip (someone's hand) vigorously in greeting

(tr) to obtain by or as if by forceful meanswring information out of

(intr) to writhe with or as if with pain

wringing wet soaking; drenched

noun

an act or the process of wringing

Word Origin for wring

Old English wringan; related to Old High German ringan (German wringen), Gothic wrungō snare. See wrangle, wrong

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

wring

Origin of wring

OTHER WORDS FROM wring

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wring

Words nearby wring

Words related to wring

How to use wring in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wring

Word Origin for wring