WRENCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does wrench mean? 

• WRENCH (noun)
  The noun WRENCH has 3 senses:

1. a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments

2. a jerky pulling movement

3. a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt

  Familiarity information: WRENCH used as a noun is uncommon.

• WRENCH (verb)
  The verb WRENCH has 4 senses:

1. twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates

2. make a sudden twisting motion

3. twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish

4. twist suddenly so as to sprain

  Familiarity information: WRENCH used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WRENCH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A sharp strain on muscles or ligaments

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

pull; twist; wrench

Context example:

he was sidelined with a hamstring pull

Hypernyms ("wrench" is a kind of...):

harm; hurt; injury; trauma (any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wrench"):

sprain (a painful injury to a joint caused by a sudden wrenching of its ligaments)

Derivation:

wrench (twist suddenly so as to sprain)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A jerky pulling movement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

twist; wrench

Hypernyms ("wrench" is a kind of...):

motion; movement (a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something)

Derivation:

wrench (make a sudden twisting motion)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

spanner; wrench

Hypernyms ("wrench" is a kind of...):

hand tool (a tool used with workers' hands)

Meronyms (parts of "wrench"):

jaw (holding device consisting of one or both of the opposing parts of a tool that close to hold an object)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wrench"):

Allen wrench (a wrench for Allen screws)

torque wrench (a wrench that has a gauge that indicates the amount of torque being applied)

tap wrench (a wrench for turning a tap to create an internal screw thread)

sparkplug wrench (a wrench for removing or tightening spark plugs into the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine)

socket wrench (a wrench with a handle onto which sockets of different sizes can be fitted)

screw key (a wrench for turning a screw)

pin wrench (a wrench that has a projecting pin that fits into a socket on the object to be turned)

open-end wrench; tappet wrench (a wrench having parallel jaws at fixed separation (often on both ends of the handle))

lug wrench (a wrench with jaws that have projecting lugs to engage the object that is to be rotated)

hook spanner; hook wrench (a wrench with a hook that fits over a nut or bolt head)

dog wrench (a wrench with a handle shaped like a crank)

carriage wrench (a wrench designed for use with carriage bolts)

bulldog wrench (a wrench designed to provide a firm grip on something)

brace wrench (a wrench shaped like a brace (has a handle shaped like a crank) and a socket head)

box end wrench; box wrench (a wrench with a closed loop (a socket) that fits over a nut or bolt head)

alligator wrench (a wrench with a v-shaped jaw and serrations on one side (resembles the open jaws of an alligator))

adjustable spanner; adjustable wrench (can be changed to different settings)

Derivation:

wrench (twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates)

• WRENCH (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they wrench    ... he / she / it wrenches   
Past simple: wrenched   
Past participle: wrenched   
-ing form: wrenching   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

twist; wrench

Context example:

a deep sigh was wrenched from his chest

Hypernyms (to "wrench" is one way to...):

pull (apply force so as to cause motion towards the source of the motion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

wrench (a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make a sudden twisting motion

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "wrench" is one way to...):

squirm; twist; worm; wrestle; wriggle; writhe (to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling))

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

wrench (a jerky pulling movement)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

wrench; wring

Context example:

Wring one's hand

Hypernyms (to "wrench" is one way to...):

distort; twine; twist (form into a spiral shape)

Verb group:

contort; deform; distort; wring (twist and press out of shape)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Twist suddenly so as to sprain

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

rick; sprain; turn; twist; wrench; wrick

Context example:

I turned my ankle and couldn't walk for several days

Hypernyms (to "wrench" is one way to...):

injure; wound (cause injuries or bodily harm to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Did he wrench his foot?

Derivation:

wrench (a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments)

 Context examples 

His attention was called by the sound of the window being wrenched out.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

A change in the battle crushed him under both their bodies and wrenched loose his hold.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

But Mercedes interfered, crying, “Oh, Hal, you mustn’t,” as she caught hold of the whip and wrenched it from him.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

And he gave it, as he spoke, a wrench that made me cry out.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Having once caught the bridle, he mastered it directly and sprang to his saddle; grimacing grimly as he made the effort, for it wrenched his sprain.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

He wrenched and writhed about convulsively.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Harrison fumbled in his mouth with his finger and thumb, and then with a sharp half-turn he wrenched out a tooth, which he threw into the basin.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He appeared to be wrenching at it, or bending it with all his strength.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The conversion of CTP to its analog, ddhCTP, throws a monkey wrench into virus' ability to copy its genome.

(Scientists Discover How Antiviral Gene Works, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

He had bounded across the room and had wrenched a small phial from her hand.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)