wrench

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈɹɪ̟nt͡ʃ/ UK /ˈɹɛnt͡ʃ/ See IPA manual

Freq #10654

Meanings

1

verb
To pull or twist something suddenly and violently.

She wrenched the door open and ran outside.
2

verb
To injure a part of your body by twisting it suddenly.

Be careful not to wrench your ankle on those loose stones.
3

noun
A sudden, violent twisting or pulling movement.

With a sharp wrench, he tore the branch from the tree.
4

noun
A feeling of pain or sadness at leaving someone or something.

Saying goodbye to her hometown was a real wrench.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to pull or twist something... twist pull

2 verb · to injure a part of your... twist

3 noun · a sudden, violent twisting... pull twist

Word family

Forms wrenchedwrenches

Derived forms monkey-wrenchmonkeywrenchwrenchman

Appears in

Phrases (4)

See all

adjustable wrench
a tool with a movable jaw that can grip nuts of different sizes

Adjective + noun
torque wrench
a wrench that measures or controls the turning force applied to a fastener

Noun + noun
monkey wrench
a hand tool with one fixed jaw and one adjustable jaw for gripping and turning objects

Noun + noun
tap wrench
a hand tool that turns a cutting tap to form screw threads inside a hole

Noun + noun

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”).

wrench Middle English wrenċ Old English *wrankiz Proto-Germanic *wreng- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# wrench

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɹɪ̟nt͡ʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɹɛnt͡ʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 10654

## Meanings
1. To pull or twist something suddenly and violently.
2. To injure a part of your body by twisting it suddenly.
3. A sudden, violent twisting or pulling movement.
4. A feeling of pain or sadness at leaving someone or something.

## Examples
- She wrenched the door open and ran outside.
- Be careful not to wrench your ankle on those loose stones.
- With a sharp wrench, he tore the branch from the tree.
- Saying goodbye to her hometown was a real wrench.

## Derived Forms
- monkey-wrench
- monkeywrench
- wrenchman

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: wrench
- Root: wrenċ
- Root: *wrankiz
- Root: *wreng-

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Wrench is from Middle English wrench, from Old English wrenċ, from Proto-Germanic *wrankiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wreng- (“to turn”). Compare German Rank (“plot, intrigue”). In present-day use, it can mean to pull or twist something suddenly and violently, or to injure a part of your body by twisting it suddenly. Derived formations include monkey-wrench, monkeywrench, and wrenchman.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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