wrung

[ ruhng ]

/ rʌŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wrung ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

simple past tense and past participle of wring.

RELATED WORDS

dried, twisted, compressed

Nearby words

wrote the book on, wroth, wrought, wrought iron, wrought-up, wrung, wrvs, wry, wry-necked, wrybill, wryly

Related formsun·wrung, adjective

Can be confusedrung wrung

Definition for wrung (2 of 2)

wring

[ ring ]

/ rɪŋ /

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.

Origin of wring

before 900; Middle English wringen, Old English wringan; cognate with German ringen to wrestle

Related formsout·wring, verb (used with object), out·wrung, out·wring·ing.

Can be confusedring wring

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

Examples from the Web for wrung

To wring all that can be wrung from metaphor, note what our elected and appointed officials are not dressed as.
Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween|P. J. O’Rourke|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Almost every “fact” is wrung through an ideological thresher and pulverized.
A Response to David Mamet on Gun Control|Michael Tomasky|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Pundits have wrung their hands over the consequences of the leaks.
Obamacare Leaks Show Supreme Court’s Slow Move to the 21st Century|Daniel Stone|July 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I wrung my hands about this until the other day, when a now-infamous SAT question hit the Web.
Why the SAT's Reality TV Question is Good for Kids|Kyle Spencer|March 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST

In both stories by these authors from Spain, sex is wrung of joy or even sweet mystery.
New Spanish Language Superstars|Oscar Villalon|December 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Not a word of information was wrung from them, no murmur of complaint crossed their lips.
The Petticoat Commando|Johanna Brandt
He rose and wrung my hand, then without a word sank back into his chair and buried his face in his hands.
A Fortnight of Folly|Maurice Thompson
McPherson wrung his hand, without speaking, and strode noisily out.
The Return of Peter Grimm|David Belasco
I sent my love a parcelIn the days when we were young, Or e'er by care and troubleOur heart-strings had been wrung.
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various
The girls congratulated her, wrung her hand, cried, “Well done!”
A College Girl|Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

British Dictionary definitions for wrung (1 of 2)

wrung

/ (rʌŋ) /

verb

the past tense and past participle of wring

British Dictionary definitions for wrung (2 of 2)

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

Word Origin and History for wrung

wring

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).