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

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Etymology

Origin of wrist

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

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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

Ukraine's Kostyuk, who has been dealing with a wrist injury since August, only found out she would be playing on Saturday after world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

To investigate the connection, researchers analyzed data from 87,577 adults who wore wrist devices equipped with accelerometers.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

After a score from Julia Robinson - who suffered a broken wrist shortly afterwards when being pinned by a team mate - Kelleher sliced in a swerving goal-kick of which Roberto Carlos would be proud.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

The student underwent surgery for injuries to his wrist, she said, and was left with bruises and lacerations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Normally, he would be twisting the black-and.silver watch that was his most recent birthday present from Mom, but today his wrist is bare.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Officers cinched a plastic zip-tie around her wrists and led her away.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

"Physical tasks require high-quality signals involving limb movements, fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders and dynamic force application. For example: applying the correct grip force so a plastic bottle doesn't crumble versus a steel glass," he says.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Cameras mounted on their wrists and heads gather video footage, which is first used by off-site teleoperators to steer the robots, and later by Tau to train more advanced AI models.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The 30-year-old curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario had been scrutinizing a portrait of a young Black woman bedecked in jewels and wearing a shimmering blue gown with pearls around her neck and wrists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Once the dust settled, a cool breeze blew between his wrists, hovering just above the desert floor and carrying pink cactus flower petals.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

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