# wrench

Pronunciation: say "RENCH" /ɹɛnt͡ʃ/

## Noun

1. A hand tool used to grip and turn things such as nuts, bolts, or pipes. *(Canada, Philippines, US)*
   - Simple: A metal hand tool used to turn nuts, bolts, or pipes to make them tight or loose.
   - _She reached for a wrench to tighten the bolts on the bike frame._
   - _A set of wrenches hung neatly on the garage wall._
3. A violent twisting or pulling movement; a hard tug.
   - Simple: A sudden, hard pulling or twisting movement.
   - _A single wrench of the handle snapped it off._
   - _He freed the stuck gear with a quick wrench._
4. An injury to a limb caused by twisting or pulling it violently, such as a sprain or strain.
   - Simple: An injury from twisting or pulling a body part too hard.
   - _The awkward landing gave her a nasty wrench in the knee._
   - _He nursed a wrench to his wrist for several weeks._
6. In plumbing, an adjustable spanner for gripping and turning pipes and fittings. *(UK)*
   - Simple: An adjustable tool that plumbers use to grip and turn pipes and large nuts.
   - _The plumber adjusted his wrench to fit the wide pipe joint._
   - _She loosened the leaking fitting with an adjustable wrench._
8. A sudden, painful emotional upheaval caused by separation from someone or something.
   - Simple: A strong feeling of pain or sadness caused by leaving someone or something.
   - _Moving abroad and leaving family behind was a terrible wrench._
   - _Closing the family shop after thirty years was a genuine wrench for them all._
9. A distorting change that pulls something away from its original meaning.
   - Simple: A twisting of words that changes what they really mean.
   - _The translation introduced a subtle wrench in the poem's meaning._
   - _Critics objected to the wrench his interpretation gave the original text._
13. In screw theory, a single entity combining the force and torque vectors that act on a rigid body, formed by applying Newton's laws of motion.
   - Simple: A way of describing both a push and a twisting effect on a solid object as one combined quantity.
   - _The control software represents each contact force and torque on the gripper as a single wrench._
   - _By summing the individual wrenches, the engineer found the net effect on the rigid body._
20. In coursing, the act of turning the hare at less than a right angle, scored as half a point under the recognized judging code.
   - Simple: In hare coursing, bringing the hare around at less than a right angle, worth half a point.
   - _The greyhound scored a wrench by forcing the hare around just short of a right angle._
   - _Two wrenches in quick succession gave the dog a clear lead on points._

## Verb

2. To pull or twist something with sudden, violent force.
   - Simple: To pull or twist something hard and suddenly.
   - _He wrenched the rusted bolt loose with a sharp pull._
   - _Rescuers had to wrench the car door open to reach her._
5. To pull or twist a joint hard enough to injure it.
   - Simple: To hurt a joint by twisting or pulling it.
   - _She wrenched her back trying to move the couch._
   - _He'll wrench a muscle if he lifts that without warming up._
7. To turn or twist something with a wrench.
   - Simple: To turn or tighten something using a wrench.
   - _The mechanic wrenched the bolts down one by one._
   - _She'll wrench the coupling tight before turning on the water._
10. To distort the original meaning of something; to misrepresent it.
   - Simple: To twist what something means so it says something different.
   - _Politicians often wrench the facts to win an argument._
   - _He wrenched her remark into something she never intended._
11. To take something from someone by means of a violent pull or twist.
   - Simple: To take something away with a hard pull or twist.
   - _The guard wrenched the weapon from the attacker's hand._
   - _They tried to wrench control of the company from its founder._
12. To cause someone sharp pain or deep emotional distress.
   - Simple: To cause someone deep pain or great sadness.
   - _The images of the disaster wrenched everyone who saw them._
   - _Watching her suffer would wrench any parent._

## Noun

14. A winch or windlass: a device that hauls or lifts loads by winding rope or chain around a rotating drum. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old machine for lifting or pulling heavy loads using a rope wound around a turning barrel.
   - _The miners hauled the ore to the surface with a wrench mounted at the shaft's mouth._
   - _Two men strained at the wrench to drag the boat up the slipway._
15. A turn made at an acute angle, sharper than a right angle. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A sharp, sudden turn at a narrow angle.
   - _The trail ended in a tight wrench that doubled back on itself._
   - _At the foot of the hill the lane gave a sudden wrench toward the river._
16. A trick or clever contrivance used to gain an advantage by cunning. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A clever trick or scheme used to fool someone.
   - _By some crafty wrench he slipped past the gatekeeper unnoticed._
   - _The merchant's wrench cost his rivals their best customers._
17. Deceit and guile; treacherous conduct that betrays the trust of others. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Dishonest behavior meant to trick or betray other people.
18. A screw: a threaded metal pin fastened by turning it into a surface. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A metal fastener with a spiral ridge, turned to hold things together.
19. A means or contrivance; a method devised for achieving a particular end. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A way or method of getting something done.

## Verb

21. To move violently with a turning or writhing motion, as a body twisting in pain. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To twist and turn your body in a violent way.
   - _The serpent wrenched and coiled until it slipped free of the trap._
   - _Cattle wrench against the yoke when they are first harnessed._
22. To tighten or draw something taut with a winch, or as though using one. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To tighten something using a winch, or in a similar way.
23. To thrust a weapon into a target with a twisting motion as it strikes home. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To push a weapon into something with a twisting move.
   - _The soldier wrenched his dagger between the plates of armor._
   - _Hunters wrench the blade into the boar to finish it quickly._
24. In fencing, to disarm an opponent by whirling their blade away with a circular motion. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In fencing, to disarm by whirling an opponent's blade away with a spinning move.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–4, 6, 8–9, 13–20** — From Middle English wrench, from Old English wrenċ; it is comparable to German Rank meaning 'plot, intrigue'.
**Meanings 2, 5, 7, 10–12, 21–24** — From Middle English wrenchen, from Old English wrenċan, going back to Proto-West Germanic *wrankijan and Proto-Germanic *wrankijaną; compare German renken.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wrench (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).