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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His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

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

How to use wring in a sentence

Is there a more dreadful sensation than that of your stomach wringing itself out like a washcloth?
Why My Norovirus Panic Makes Me Sick|Lizzie Crocker|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is why there will not be much hand-wringing over the Archbishop of Canterbury confessing to doubting the existence of God.
UK’s No 1 Churchman Doubts Existence of God: The Archbishop of Canterbury Thinks Deep When Running With His Dog|Tim Teeman|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both have elicited the same hand wringing and pearls clutching.
Dissed By Her Doctor for Wanting HIV Protection|Heather Boerner|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some artists were just happy to have their music out [but] the labels were just wringing their hands.
15 Years After Napster: How the Music Service Changed the Industry|Alex Suskind|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And really, there is no indication that he has one, at least not one worth wringing our hands over.
Justin Bieber: Not a Racist, But Is He Really a N*****?|John McWhorter|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tressan fell suddenly to groaning and wringing his hands a pathetic figure had it been less absurd.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Children who were going to bed heard the servant girls in the kitchen wringing their hands, and crying "God preserve us!"
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
There was only time for the picture—the tiny beast lying there and her owner wringing his hands.
The Amazing Interlude|Mary Roberts Rinehart
And, as a great many females were wringing their hands in France those days, he had gone away, rather sorry for her.
The Amazing Interlude|Mary Roberts Rinehart
She tried a pantomime of washing her hands, but to the boy she had appeared to be merely wringing them.
The Amazing Interlude|Mary Roberts Rinehart

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 related to wring

How to use wring in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wring

Word Origin for wring