Word: wring Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English wring, wringe, wringen, wryng, wrynge, wryngen, wryngyn, from Old English wringan (“to wring”), from Proto-Germanic *wringaną (“to squeeze, twist, wring”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wrenǵʰ- (“to squeeze, wring”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wring (“to wring”), Saterland Frisian wringe (“to wring”), Dutch wringen (“to wring; to wrest; to writhe”), German ringen (“to wrestle; to struggle; to wring”), wringen (“to wring”), Luxembourgish réngen (“to grapple, wrestle”); also Ancient Greek ῥίμφα (rhímpha, “fast, nimbly, rapidly”), Lithuanian rangýti (“to roll up; to curl, twist, wave”). Pronunciation: /ɹɪŋ/, /ˈɹɪŋɡ/ 1. Often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out. Labels: transitive Example: I didn’t have a towel so I just wrung my hair dry. Example: […] Protagenes portrai[e]d Venus vvith a ſponge ſprinkled with ſvvéete vvater, but if once ſhe vvrong it, it vvould droppe blood: […] 2. Often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out. Labels: transitive Example: “I feel I’ve been wrung through a wringer,” Maggie said. 3. Often followed by from or out: to extract (a liquid) from something wet by squeezing, twisting, or otherwise putting pressure on it. Labels: also, figuratively, transitive Example: Put the berries into a cheesecloth and wring the juice into a bowl. Example: And whan he roſe vp early on the morow, he wrãge [wrange] yͤ dew out of the fleſe, and fylled a dyſſhe full of water. 4. To hold (someone or something) tightly and press or twist; to wrest. Labels: also, figuratively, transitive Example: to wring someone’s hand Example: to wring the neck of a chicken 5. To hold (someone or something) tightly and press or twist; to wrest. Labels: also, figuratively, transitive Example: to wring one’s hands with worry Example: Come you whoſe loues are dead, / And whiles I ſing / Weepe and wring / Euery hand and euery head, […] 6. To bend or strain (something) out of its position; to wrench, to wrest. Labels: transitive Example: to wring a mast Example: [B]y the couetous prieſtes of Baall through defaulte of good & godly Counſayllours, whome (doubte ye not but this wicked rable founde meanes to wring out of fauour, & to remoue awaye from the Kynges preſence) he was ſo coumpaced, weyghed, perſuaded, woonne, bewitched, peruerted & ſo farre ſeduced: yͭ (as the ſcripture recordeth), he did eiuil in the ſyght of the Lorde euen after the abominacyons of the heathen. 7. To contort or screw up (the face or its features). Labels: transitive Example: Then would I laugh to ſee my lady pout, / And ſmyle when moſt ſhe wroung her mouth awry; […] Example: VVould'ſt haue me cry, run rauing vp & dovvn, / For my ſons loſſe? vvould'ſt haue me turn rank mad, / Or vvring my face vvith mimick action; / Stampe, curſe, vveepe, rage, & then my boſome ſtrike? 8. To twist or wind (something) into coils; to coil. Labels: transitive 9. Of a thing (such as footwear): to pinch or press (a person or part of their body), causing pain. Labels: transitive Example: Myselfe can tell best where my shooe doth wring mee. Example: [T]he muſicke likes me not, and I haue a ſhooe vvrings me to'th heart; beſides I haue a vvomans reaſon, I vvill not daunce, becauſe I vvill not daunce: […] 10. To cause (someone or something) physical harm, injury, or pain; specifically, by applying pressure or by twisting; to harm, to hurt, to injure. Labels: UK, also, archaic, dialectal, figuratively, transitive Example: A Lorde God, howe the gowte wryngeth me by the too! Example: I preethe Tom beat Cuts ſaddle; put a fevv flockes in the point, poor iade is vvroong in the vvithers, out of all ceſſe. 11. To cause (tears) to come out from a person or their eyes. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: And art thou come, Horatio from the deapth, / To aske for iuſtice in this vpper earth? / To tell thy father thou art vnreuengde, / To vvring more teares from Iſabellas eyes: / VVhoſe lights are dim'd vvith ouer-long laments. Example: The gripe of chaunce is vveake, to vvring a teare, / From him that knovves vvhat fortitude ſhould beare. 12. To cause distress or pain to (a person or their heart, soul, etc.); to distress, to torment. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: And if he had not too much cheriſh’d his natural conſtitution, and propenſity; and been too much griev’d, and wrung by an uneaſy and ſtreight Fortune; he would have been an excellent Man of buſineſs, […] Example: Oh Portius, didſt thou taſte but half the Griefs / That wring my Soul, thou cou’dſt not talk thus coldly, […] 13. To obtain (something) from or out of a person or thing by extortion or other force. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: The police said they would wring the truth out of that criminal. Example: No Harry, Harry, ’tis no Land of thine; / Thy place is fill’d, thy Scepter vvrung from thee, […] 14. To use effort to draw (a response, words, etc.) from or out of someone; to generate (something) as a response. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: O noble ſir! / Your ouer kindneſſe doth vvring teares from me, […] Example: My buſie heart ſhall ſpin it all my dayes: / And vvhen it ſtops for vvant of ſtore, / Then vvill I vvring it vvith a ſigh or grone, / That thou mayſt yet have more. 15. To afflict or oppress (someone) to enforce compliance; to extort. Labels: figuratively, obsolete, transitive Example: VVho can be bound by any ſolemne Vovv[…] To vvring the VViddovv from her cuſtom’d right, And have no other reaſon for this vvrong, But that he vvas bound by a ſolemne Oath? Example: [T]he Merchant aduenturers haue beene often vvronged and vvringed to the quicke, […] 16. To cause (someone) to do something or to think a certain way. Labels: figuratively, obsolete, transitive Example: For men be ſo parciall alway to theim ſelfe, that our hart euer thinketh the iudgement wrong, that wringeth vs to the worſe. 17. To change (something) into another thing. Labels: figuratively, obsolete, transitive Example: As the wines which flow from the first treading of the grape are sweeter and better than those forced out by the press, which gives them the roughness of the husk and the stone, so are those doctrines best and sweetest which flow from a gentle crush of the Scriptures, and are not wrung into controversies and common-places. 18. To give (teachings, words, etc.) an incorrect meaning; to twist, to wrest. Labels: figuratively, obsolete, transitive Example: Lord, how dare these men thus wring the scriptures? Example: Or elſe they vvould ſtraine us out a certaine figurative Prelat, by vvringing the collective allegory of thoſe ſeven Angels into ſeven ſingle Rochets. 19. To put (oneself) in a position by cunning or subtle means; to insinuate. Labels: figuratively, obsolete, reflexive, transitive Example: Drudges, that haue no extraordinarie giftes of bodie nor of minde, filche themselues into some noble-mans seruice, either by bribes or by flatterie, and, when they are there, they so labour it with cap and knee, and ply it with priuie whisperinges, that they wring themsleues into his good opinion ere he be aware. Example: VVe vvring our ſelues into this vvretched vvorld, / To pule, and vveepe, exclaime, to curſe and raile, / To fret, and ban the fates, to ſtrike the earth / As I doe novv. 20. To slide (two ultraflat surfaces) together such that their faces bond. Labels: transitive Example: For a given set of blocks with lengths in multiples of thousandths the lengths may be so selected as to make it possible, by combining different blocks in wringing contact end to end, to form a series having any desired length, measured in inches and thousandths; […] Example: The number of optical wringing procedures performed for each gauge block was five, and the number of measurements for each wringing procedure was eleven. 21. To be engaged in clasping and twisting (especially the hands), or exerting pressure. Labels: intransitive Example: Go wash well, saith Sommer, with sunne I shall drie, / go wring well, saith Winter, with winde so shall I. Example: […] Mr. VVet-eyes vvent vvith hands vvringing together. 22. To twist the body in or as if in pain; to writhe. Labels: intransitive Example: No, no, tis all mens office to ſpeake patience / To thoſe that vvring vnder the loade of ſorrovv […] Example: Bel[arius]. He vvrings at ſome diſtreſſe. / Gui[derius]. VVould I could free't. 23. To contend, to struggle; also, to strive, to toil. Labels: figuratively, intransitive Example: Thus chaunce hath (by exchaunge) the flie ſo trapt, / That ſodainly he loſt his libertee: / The more he wrange, the faſter was he wrapt [in the spider's web] / And all to thencreaſe of his ieoberdee, […] 24. To experience distress, pain, punishment, etc. Labels: figuratively, intransitive Example: [A]ll Ambaſſadours / (You knovv) haue chiefly theſe inſtructions; / […] / [T]o obſerue the countenances and ſpirites, / Of ſuch as are impatient of reſt; / And vvring beneath, ſome priuate diſcontent: […] 25. Of a lode: to be depleted of ore; to peter or peter out. Labels: intransitive 26. To make a way out with difficulty. Labels: intransitive, obsolete