wrench
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: fencing
government
hobbies
lifestyle
martial-arts
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
politics
sports
war
Etymology: From Middle English wrench, from Old English wrenċ, from Proto-Germanic *wrankiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wreng- (“to turn”). Compare German Rank (“plot, intrigue”).
Inflected forms:
form: wrenches
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: wrenche
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: wrinche
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: wringe
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: wrenches
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: wrenching
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: wrenched
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: wrenched
pos: verb
tags: past
form: wrenche
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: wrinche
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: wringe
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug.
pos: noun
examples: With a wrench, which threw his victim back upon the bed as though hurled from a height, he turned and sprang at us.
It was difficult indeed for Max to disengage himself from the effusive Spinola's affection without a wrench.
gloss: An injury caused by a violent twisting or pulling of a limb; strain, sprain.
pos: noun
gloss: A trick or artifice.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: Deceit; guile; treachery.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: A turn at an acute angle.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: A winch or windlass.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
gloss: A screw.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: A distorting change from the original meaning.
pos: noun
gloss: A hand tool for making rotational adjustments, such as fitting nuts and bolts, or fitting pipes.
pos: noun
tags: Canada
Philippines
US
gloss: An adjustable spanner used by plumbers.
pos: noun
tags: UK
gloss: A violent emotional change caused by separation.
pos: noun
gloss: In screw theory, a screw assembled from force and torque vectors arising from application of Newton's laws to a rigid body.
pos: noun
gloss: means; contrivance
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: But weighing one thing with another he gave Britain for lost; but resolved to make his profit of this business of Britain, as a quarrel for war; and that of Naples, as a wrench and mean for peace
gloss: In coursing, the act of bringing the hare round at less than a right angle, worth half a point in the recognised code of points for judging.
pos: noun
gloss: To pull or twist violently.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: With a surge of adrenaline, she wrenched the car door off and pulled out the injured man.
gloss: To injure (a joint) by pulling or twisting.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Be careful not to wrench your ankle walking along those loose stones!
gloss: To distort the original meaning of; to misrepresent.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To rack with pain; to make hurt or distressed.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: And what actinic, mind-wrenching form could the countermeme take? How could human hands assemble something so devastatingly powerful and hold it steady; what human mind could wield it without exploding from the inside out?
gloss: To deprive by means of a violent pull or twist.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To use a wrench; to twist with a wrench.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The plumber wrenched the pipes until they came loose.
gloss: To violently move in a turn or writhe.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
gloss: To tighten with or as if with a winch.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: [S]end me that hag hither; she shall avouch what it was that she hath given to the wretch Dryfesdale, or the pilniewinks and thumbikins shall wrench it out of her finger-joints.
gloss: To thrust (a weapon) in a twisting motion.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
gloss: To disarm an opponent by whirling their blade away.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
Derived words: adjustable wrench
Allen wrench
alligator wrench
bed wrench
bicycle wrench
crescent wrench
Crescent wrench
dog bone wrench
flare-nut wrench
flare nut wrench
hex head wrench
hook wrench
key wrench
monkey-wrench
monkey wrench
monkeywrench
nipple wrench
nut wrench
pipe wrench
plumber wrench
ratchet wrench
ring wrench
screw wrench
smoke wrench
socket wrench
spanner wrench
spider wrench
spoke wrench
Stillson wrench
Swedish wrench
tension wrench
throw a monkey wrench in the works
throw a monkey wrench into the works
throw a wrench in
throw a wrench in the gears
throw a wrench in the works
throw a wrench into the works
torque wrench
torsion wrench
tube wrench
tuning wrench
wrench fault
wrench hammer
wrench in the works
wrenchman
wrench react
Translations: