wedge

C1 Topic:Tools, Machines & Construction

US /wɛdʒ/ UK /wɛdʒ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like wage /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

Freq #13136

Meanings

1

noun
a tapered piece used for splitting, tightening, lifting, or securing something

She pushed a wooden wedge beneath the door to keep it open.
2

noun
a piece or mass shaped like a narrow triangle in cross-section

He served each guest a wedge of cheese.
3

noun
something that creates or deepens a division between people or groups

The dispute drove a wedge between the former partners.
4

verb
to force into a narrow space, or to secure something tightly with a wedge

She wedged the parcel between the seat and the door.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a tapered piece used for... chockshimsplitting wedge

2 noun · a piece or mass shaped like... triangular piecesector

3 noun · something that creates or... divisive forcesource of division

4 verb · to force into a narrow... jam force lodge

Word family

Forms wedgedwedgelike

Derived forms wedge-shapedwedgelikecross-wedge

Related forms inclined planewedge issuecuneiformsplit

Common collocations

sand wedge Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English wegge, inherited from Old English weċġ ("wedge"), from Proto-West Germanic *wagi and Proto-Germanic *wagjaz. The figurative sense preserves the physical tool's action: a wedge driven between things separates them.

Topics

Tools, Machines & Construction

External links

# wedge

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /wɛdʒ/
**IPA (UK):** /wɛdʒ/
**Frequency rank:** 13136

## Meanings
1. a tapered piece used for splitting, tightening, lifting, or securing something
2. a piece or mass shaped like a narrow triangle in cross-section
3. something that creates or deepens a division between people or groups
4. to force into a narrow space, or to secure something tightly with a wedge

## Examples
- She pushed a wooden wedge beneath the door to keep it open.
- He served each guest a wedge of cheese.
- The dispute drove a wedge between the former partners.
- She wedged the parcel between the seat and the door.

## Synonyms
- chock
- shim
- triangular piece
- jam
- force
- lodge

## Derived Forms
- wedge-shaped
- wedgelike
- cross-wedge

## Related Forms
- inclined plane
- wedge issue
- cuneiform
- split

## Etymology
From Middle English wegge, inherited from Old English weċġ ("wedge"), from Proto-West Germanic *wagi and Proto-Germanic *wagjaz. The figurative sense preserves the physical tool's action: a wedge driven between things separates them.

## Topics
- Tools, Machines & Construction

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