wring
[ring]
- 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).
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- to perform the action of wringing something.
- to writhe, as in anguish.
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- 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
extortwrestwrenchsqueezeextractscrewgougeforcestrainpinchthrottlecompresschokehurtexactturncoercepushpainstrangleExamples from the Web for wring
Contemporary Examples
Some things never change as we wring out the old year and ring in the new one.
To wring all that can be wrung from metaphor, note what our elected and appointed officials are not dressed as.
This makes what Obama and John Kerry manage to wring out of the Russians in the next two days absolutely crucial.
It could find other ways to wring costs of its operations, like using less packaging or electricity.
Now Brooks spoke of a death so horrific as to wring tears from a man who has seen gun death after gun death after gun death.
Historical Examples
Possibly should he retain her he could wring a handsome ransom from the white man.
The Monster MenEdgar Rice Burroughs
No bribe—and he was shameless in his offers—could wring more than that from her.
The Incomplete AmoristE. Nesbit
She thought of the meeting at the Festa, and longed to wring from Gaspare his secret.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
If you don't pay him every red copper, down on the nail, he'll wring you dry.
Cy Whittaker's PlaceJoseph C. Lincoln
Were he taken they'd wring out of him whatever happened to be in him.
The Lion's SkinRafael Sabatini
wring
- (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
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- an act or the process of wringing
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for wring
v.
Old English wringan "press, strain, wring, twist" (class III strong verb; past tense wrang, past participle wrungen), from Proto-Germanic *wrenganan (cf. Old English wringen "to wring, press out," Old Frisian wringa, Middle Dutch wringhen, Dutch wringen "to wring," Old High German ringan "to move to and fro, to twist," German ringen "to wrestle"), from PIE *wrengh- "to turn," nasalized variant of *wergh- "to turn," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper