wrist

American  

[rist] / rɪst /

noun

wrists plural

1. the carpus or lower part of the forearm where it joins the hand.

2. the joint or articulation between the forearm and the hand.

3. the part of an article of clothing that fits around the wrist.

4. Machinery. wrist pin.

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wrist British  

/ rɪst /

noun

1. Technical name: carpus.  anatomy the joint between the forearm and the hand

2. the part of a sleeve or glove that covers the wrist

3. machinery

   1. See wrist pin

   2. a joint in which a wrist pin forms the pivot

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wrist Idioms  

1. see slap on the wrist.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• wrists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wrist

before 950; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Rist back of hand, Old Norse rist instep; akin to writhe

Explanation

Your wrist is the joint between your arm and your hand. Without your wrists, it would be hard to play tennis — or even to wave goodbye to your friends. The wrist is a complicated joint that allows you to bend and rotate your hand in many different directions. The entire wrist area includes so many bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments that it's fairly easy to injure. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one common injury that's caused by repeated motion of the wrist. The word wrist stems from the German Rist, "back of the hand," and a root meaning "to turn or bend."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wrist wrists

Throughout both phases, participants wore wrist monitors that tracked sleep and physical activity.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

Defending Open champion Alcaraz remains out, recovering from an injured wrist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Adou Thiero bounced back from a wrist injury, scoring 20 points during the Lakers’ Las Vegas Summer League win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

The game badly misses Alcaraz—“Tennis needs him,” Sinner said Sunday—but no tennis player should trifle with a bad wrist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

She stood still inside the tree for a few heartbeats, the Nightingale holding on to her wrist.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Some of its 2,000 contributors perform tasks with motion-sensor bands on their "wrists, hands and legs", CEO Thaslim Pattan said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Newlyweds Tito Avalos, 26, and Andrea Avalos, 24, who were visiting from El Salvador, tied their wishes to a tree together, their wrists entwined and fingers clasped.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Its hands – still a major robotics challenge – lack strength and dexterity, and it has no proper wrists yet.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

He was paraded through Heathrow Airport with his wrists in shackles, and escorted onto a plane by two FBI agents.

From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2026

Behind him, he felt Wolf snuffling at his wrists again.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver