wringer

[ ring-er ]

/ ˈrɪŋ ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wringer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that wrings.

an apparatus or machine for squeezing liquid out of anything wet, as two rollers through which an article of wet clothing may be squeezed.

a painful, difficult, or tiring experience; ordeal (usually preceded by through the): His child's illness really put him through the wringer.

Nearby words

wright, frank lloyd, wright, richard, wrigley, wring, wring together, wringer, wrinkle, wrinklies, wrinkly, wrist, wrist joint

Origin of wringer

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at wring, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wringer

He degraded her and he really put her through the wringer, but she survived that and stayed with him anyway.
Adam Driver on Role-Play Sex with Lena Dunham on ‘Girls’ and Adam’s Stormy Relationship with Hannah|Marlow Stern|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was angry that good people were run through the wringer of a corrupt, unforgiving system.
Nuclear Sub Cheating Scandal|Christopher Brownfield|September 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
But then again, he would probably not want to go through the wringer a second time.
The White House's TSA Failure|Clive Irving|March 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Wringing is made easier if the wringer has wide hems into which sticks such as pieces of broom handles are inserted.
American Red Cross Text-Book on Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick|Jane A. Delano

Also, your garments are as wrinkled as though you'd been put through a wringer.
Frank Roscoe's Secret|Allen Chapman
There's the week's clothes to go through the wringer, but I know what soldiers is for a wringer; they can't leave it alone.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 152, March 28, 1917|Various
The wringer is attached to a device for making the inside tub turn rapidly.
Mechanical Devices in the Home|Edith Louise Allen
Have a cup of coffee; you sure look as though you've been through a wringer.
The Brain|Alexander Blade

British Dictionary definitions for wringer

wringer

/ (ˈrɪŋə) /

noun

another name for mangle 2 (def. 1)

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