Wrench

Definition: Wrench

Wrench

Noun

1. A sharp strain on muscles or ligaments; "the wrench to his knee occurred as he fell"; "he was sidelined with a hamstring pull".

2. A jerky pulling movement.

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

Verb

1. Twist or pull violently or suddenly, esp. so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached; "wrench a window off its hinges"; "wrench oneself free from somebody's grip"; also metaphorically: "a deep sigh was wrenched from his chest".

2. Make a sudden twisting motion.

3. Twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish; "Wring one's hand".

4. Twist suddenly so as to sprain; "wrench one's ankle"; "The wrestler twisted his shoulder"; "the hikers sprained their ankles when they fell"; "I turned my ankle and couldn't walk for several days".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "wrench" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references)

Mechanical Engineering

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Wrench

Circuition

Turning; Verb: wrench; evolution; coil, corkscrew.

Disjunction

Sunder, divide, subdivide, sever, dissever, abscind; circumcise; cut; incide, incise; saw, snip, nib, nip, cleave, rive, rend, slit, split, splinter, chip, crack, snap, break, tear, burst; rend; rend asunder, rend in twain; wrench, rupture, shiver, cranch, crunch, craunch, chop; cut up, rip up; hack, hew, slash; whittle; haggle, hackle, discind, lacerate, scamble, mangle, gash, hash, slice.

Extraction

Verb: extract, draw; take out, draw out, pull out, tear out, pluck out, pick out, get out; wring from, wrench; extort; root up, weed up, grub up, rake up, root out, weed out, grub out, rake out; eradicate; pull up by the roots, pluck up by the roots; averruncate; unroot; uproot, pull up, extirpate, dredge.

Evulsion, avulsion; wrench; expression, squeezing; extirpation, extermination; ejection; export; (egress).

Regression

Wrench, jerk, twitch, touse; yank.

Taking

Take from, take away from; disseize; deduct; retrench; (curtail); dispossess, ease one of, snatch from one's grasp; tear from, tear away from, wrench from, wrest from, wring from; extort; deprive of, bereave; disinherit, cut off with a shilling.

Clutch, swoop, wrench; grip; (retention); haul, take, catch; scramble.

Crosswords: Wrench

I used to go with the wrench. (Good Will Hunting; writing credit: Matt Damon; Ben Affleck)

The wrench! (Entrapment; writing credit: Ronald Bass; Michael Hertzberg)

You don't know a monkey wrench from a monkey's ass. (Everybody Loves Raymond; writing credit: Joe Bolster)

You do you brain surgery too, with a monkey wrench (Little Miss Can't Be Wrong; performing artist: Spin Doctors)

Pardon My Wrench (1953)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• The Wrench (Learning About Tools) (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• One Wrench (reference)

• Throwing a Wrench Into the American Music Machine (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• Compucable Field Service Kit W/Case 57PC W/Pliers Cutters Hex & Comb Wrench (reference)

• Computer Tool Kit 11 Piece with pliers Wrench Scrwdrvr Tweezers (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Consumer Goods

• Milwaukee 49-96-0370 Above-The-Table Depth Wrench (reference)

• Allen 20208 3/8" Combination Wrench (reference)

• DeWalt DW291 1/2" Impact Wrench with Hog Ring Anvil (reference)

• Westward 5PV89 14" & 4" Boa Constrictor Strap Wrench Combo Pack (reference)

• Porter-Cable PT381 3/8" Butterfly Impact Wrench (reference)

  (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Sec. Daniels receiving check from Maj. Evelyn Wrench. Credit: Library of Congress.

Roughnecks leaning on the wrench to tighten the joint in the pipe, oil well, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Tools, a shovel and saw and wrench and pliers

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "wrench": adjustable end wrench ♦ adjustable wrench ♦ allen wrench ♦ Alligator wrench ♦ box end wrench ♦ box wrench ♦ brace wrench ♦ bulldog wrench ♦ Carriage wrench ♦ chain wrench ♦ Crescent adjustable wrench ♦ Crescent wrench ♦ Crescent wrench transversely adjustable ♦ cross box wrench ♦ crossed box wrench ♦ cylinder wrench ♦ dog wrench ♦ double head wrench ♦ faucet wrench ♦ give a wrench to ♦ hexagon wrench ♦ hexagon wrench key ♦ hexagonal wrench ♦ hook wrench ♦ Hose wrench ♦ Key wrench ♦ King Dick wrench ♦ lug wrench ♦ monkey wrench ♦ nut wrench ♦ open end wrench ♦ pin wrench ♦ pipe wrench ♦ S wrench ♦ screw wrench ♦ screw wrench with one adjustable jaw ♦ single end wrench ♦ socket wrench ♦ spanner wrench ♦ sparkplug wrench ♦ Stillson wrench ♦ tap wrench ♦ tappet wrench ♦ torque wrench ♦ tube wrench ♦ wrench a lock ♦ wrench for hexagon socketed screws ♦ wrench for socketed screws ♦ wrench free ♦ wrench hammer ♦ wrench key ♦ wrench loose ♦ wrench one's ankle ♦ wrench oneself free ♦ wrench open ♦ wrench smth. away from smb. ♦ wrench smth. from smb. ♦ wrench the door open. Additional references.

Beginning with "wrench": wrench-related.

Ending with "wrench": auto-wrench, monkey-wrench.

Containing "wrench": throw a monkey-wrench in the works.

Afrikaans

sleutel (key). (various references)

Albanian

tërheq fort (strain, yank), shtrembëroj fjalët, pikëllim (affliction, dolor, dolour, grief, heartache, sorrow), përdredhje (convolution, curl, kink, Rick, sprain, squirm, torsion, turn, twist, wrick), ndrydhje (compression, constriction, dislocation, jaw, Rick, sprain, suppression, wrick), ndrydh (check, clench, constrain, dislocate, jam, sprain, stifle, subdue, suppress, turn, vice, wrick), dëmtoj (affect, batter, blast, blight, break, concuss, cripple, damage, damnify, deface, disorder, do harm, harm, hurt, impair, injure, kill, make mischief, mess, nip, prejudice, scathe, spoil, vitiate), çelës (clef, clue, key, knob, picklock, spanner). (various references)

Arabic 

‏مفتاح البراغي (spanner), ‏ملوي, ‏لوى (bend, bent, contort, curl, flex, incline, screw, turn, twist, wring, writhe, wry), ‏وجع (ache, ail, distress, fell, gripe, inflict, pain, soreness), ‏سحب بقوة (tug), ‏عذب (agonize, agreeable, bedevil, benign, charming, chasten, crucify, devil, dulcet, freshen, grilled, harrow, harry, hearty, leisurely, liquid, murder, palmy, persecute, pillory, plague, quiet, rack, rack one's brains, scourge, silken, silky, sleek, smite, smooth, smooth spoken, soft, suave, sweet, sympathetic, tantalize, tease, tender, torment, torture, wring), ‏ألم (ache, distress, hurt, infirmity, inflict, misery, pain, smart, soreness, sufferance, suffering), ‏أسى شديد, ‏شوه (assassinate, blemish, color, colour, deface, defile, deform, denigrate, distort, falsify, garble, harm, maim, mangle, mar, misrepresent, mutilate, pervert, queer, skew, slant, slur, spoil, tinker, torment, torture, twist, warp). (various references)

Bavarian

schlissel (key). (various references)

Bulgarian 

гаечен ключ (spanner), внезапно силно извъртяване, внезапно силно извиване, внезапно силно дръпване, навяхване (sprain, twist), навяхвам (slip, sprain, strain, twist, wrick), болка причинена от раздяла, преиначавам (falsify, slant), изтръгвам (elicit, extort, get, milk, pull out, rip out, root from, snatch, tear out, uproot, wrest, yank), изкълчване (dislocation, luxation, sprain), изкълчвам (disjoint, dislocate, luxate, put out, slip, sprain), извращавам (contort, deform, distort, pervert, strain), дръпвам силно (yank). (various references)

Catalan

clau (key). (various references)

Chinese 

螺旋鉗 , 扳手 (lever, spanner), 扳子 (spanner), 板钳. (various references)

Czech

vyvrtnutí (sprain), vymknutí (dislocation, sprain), vymknout (dislocate, sprain), vykroutit, trhnutí (jerk, jolt, pluck, pull, recoil, start, yank), trhnout (jerk, twitch, yank), toèení (spin, swing, turning, twist), překroutit (distort, falsify, garble, misinterpret, misrepresent, pervert, skew, twist), kroucení (roll, torsion, tortuosity, wiggle, wriggle), škubnout (flinch, twitch, yank). (various references)

Danish

nøgle (key). (various references)

Dutch

sleutel (clef, key). (various references)

Esperanto

ŝlosilo (key). (various references)

Faeroese

lykil (key). (various references)

Farsi 

پیچ خوردن (Loop, Sprain, Wreathe, Wry), پیچ دادن (Flex, Hurtle, Screw, Strain, Tweak), چرخش (Evolution, Gyration, Revolution, Roll, Swirl, Troll, Tumble, Turquoise, Twirl, Wheel, Whirl, Wrest), تند (Caustic, Discourteous, Fast, Glassy, Harsh, Hasty, Headlong, Heady, Hot, Inflammable, Intensive, Keen, Paregoric, Peppery, Presto, Pungent, Quick, Racy, Rapid, Rash, Slush, Sour, Spicy, Tart, Transient, Violent, Virulent, Yare), عمل تندووحشیانه , اچارفرانسه , اچار (Complex, Spanner). (various references)

Finnish

temmata (jerk, pull), ruuviavain (spanner), riistää (deprive bereave, dispossess, exploit, rob, take, tear). (various references)

French

clef (adjustable wrench), clé à écrous (nut wrench, screw wrench). (various references)

Frisian

kaai (key, platform, quay, wharf). (various references)

German

Schraubenschlüssel (adjustable wrench, screw-wrench, spanner, spanners), Schlüssel (cipher, clef, clefs, code, key, key's, passport, ratio, spanner, tools), reißen (be draughty, crack, drag, draw, jerk, jolt, pull, rend, rent, rip, shake, snap, snatch, tear, to rip, tug, yank). (various references)

Greek 

κλειδί σύσφιξης (nut wrench, screw key, screw wrench, spanner), κλειδί βίδασ, κλειδί τύπου διχάλας (spanner), κοχλιοστρόφιο, στρέφω (jibe, obvert, swivel, turn, veer, wind), στρεβλώ, στραμπούληγμα, στραμπουλίζω (sprain, strain, twist, wrench one's leg), γαλλικό κλειδί (spanner), βίαια στροφή, βίαιο τράβηγμα, αποσπώ (abstract, break off, detach, distract, elicit, extort, extract, pluck, pry, pull, tease out, unfix, wean 1, wean 2, wrest, wring), διαστρέφω (belie, contort, distort, garble, pervert, twist, vitiate, warp). (various references)

Hawaiian

çelës (key). (various references)

Hebrew 

מפתח ברגים (spanner), לסלף (distort, falsify, garble, misrepresent, parody, pervert, skew, twist, wrest), לנקוע (dislocate, sprain, strain), כאב (ache, grief, hurt, malady, pain, soreness, suffering, torment, torture). (various references)

Hungarian

villáskulcs, franciakulcs (adjustable spanner, monkey wrench, monkey-wrench, pipe wrench), ficam (abarticulation, luxation, Rick, sprain). (various references)

Icelandic

lykill (key). (various references)

Indonesian

renggutan (yank), kunci inggris (monkey wrench), engkol (crank). (various references)

Irish

eochair (key). (various references)

Italian

chiave (adjustable, adjustable wrench, clef, key, passport, spanner, stop). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

スパイ罪 (crime of espionage, fastball, ink spattering, slowing down, spaghetti, spaghetti meat sauce, spaghetti Western, span, span of control, spangle, Spanish, Spanish America, spanner, Spartacus Games, spasm, spats, spatula, speaker, speaker unit, speech, speech therapist, speech therapy, speed, speed ball, speed limit, speed skating, speed up, speed-gun, speedometer, speedway, speedy, spot, student slang for the restaurant chain "Spaghetti Factory", thank you). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

スパナ (spanner). (various references)

Korean 

렌치 (Wrenched, Wrenching). (various references)

Lombard

ciav (key). (various references)

Malay

kunci (key). (various references)

Manx

rinse (spanner), cassey (change, curl, distort, flick, flounce, involve, pervert, screw, spin, squirm, swing, swirl, tangle, turn, turn over, twist, warp, whip-round, wring). (various references)

Norwegian

nøkkel (key). (various references)

Papiamen

yabi (key). (various references)

Pig Latin

enchwray.(various references)

Portuguese

chave (cottar, cottier, key, keystone, secret, spanner). (various references)

Romanian

strângere de inimã, smulgere (avulsion, evulsion, pluck), smulge din (switch), smuciturã (flounce, hitch, jerk, jolt, tug, twitch, wring), smuci (hitch, lug, pull up, tug, twitch, worry), scrântire (dislocation, sprain), scrânti (dislocate, luxate, sprain), scoate cu forţã, rãsucire (contortion, convolution, torsion, twist, winding, wriggle, wring), rãstãlmãci vorbele cuiva, entorsã (Crick, sprain, twist), denatura faptele (garble). (various references)

Russian 

ключ (clef, clue, fountain-head, key, spring), гаечный ключ (spanner), вывертывать, вывихнуть (disjoint, dislocate, luxate, put out), вывих (dislocation, luxation, twist), искажение (contortion, deformation, distortion, falsification, misrepresentation, mutilation, perturbation, perversion). (various references)

Scottish

iuchair (a key, key, the roe). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

uganuti (luxate, sprain, twist, wrick), uganuće (luxation, sprain, twist, wrick), trzaj (hitch, jerk, lunge, lurch, snatch, start, tug, twitch, wince, yank), ključ (key), istrgnuti (pluck out, wrest), iščašiti (disjoin, disjoint, dislocate, luxate, sprain, twist), iščašenje (dislocation, luxation, sprain, twist), bol (ache, aching, affliction, anguish, dolor, dolour, grief, misery, pain, pang). (various references)

Shona

bhobhojani (monkey wrench). (various references)

Spanish

llave (adjustable wrench, brace, faucet, key, lock, piston, piston valve, spanner, tap), llave inglesa (monkey wrench, monkey-wrench, shifting spanner, spanner). (various references)

Sranan

sroto (key). (various references)

Swahili

ufunguo (key). (various references)

Swazi

bhobhojáne. (various references)

Swedish

skiftnyckel (monkey wrench, spanner), rycka (hitch, jerk, lug, March, move, pluck, pull, switch, tug, twitch, wrest, yank). (various references)

Tagalog

susì (key). (various references)

Turkish

zorla almak (exact, extort, grab, rape, reave, Rob, snatch, squeeze, usurp, wrench smth. away from smb., wrench smth. from smb., wrest, wring), yanlış yorumlamak (give a wrench to, misconstrue, misinterpret, misread, warp), ters anlamak (get hold the wrong end of the stick, get it wrong, give a wrench to, misunderstand, spell backward, take a word in the wrong sense, take amiss, wrest from meaning), ingiliz anahtarı (monkey wrench, screw wrench, spanner), burkulma (Rick, sprain, strain, twist, wrick), burkmak (distort, luxate, Rick, sprain, strain, turn, twist, wrick), burkma (sprain, twist), bükmek (bend, buckle, contort, crook, curl, curl up, curve, distort, double, entwine, entwist, flex, fold, fold down, hook, inflect, intwine, spring, strand, throw, twine, twist, wind up, wrest, wring), bükme (bend, bending, contortion, curl, twist, wring), bükülme (contortion, distorsion, flection, flexion, Rick, torsion, twist, wrick), ayrılış acısı, asılmak (accost, be suspended, hang, hang down, hang on, make advances to smb., philander, pull, rush, solicit, swing, tug), anahtar (cipher, clef, clew, clue, cotter, key, spanner, switch), çarpıtmak (angle, color, colour, contort, distort, garble, make awry, make crooked, pervert, skew, slant, strain, torture, twist, warp, wrest, wring). (various references)

Ukrainian

сіпати (lug, pluck, twitch), сіпання (lug, pull, tug, twitch, yank), смикання (pluck), рвати (lacerate, pull, rend, rip, tear), гайковий ключ (spanner), викручувати (twist), викривляти (contort, crook, screw), вивихнути (dislocate), вивих (contortion, dislocation), звих, закручувати (curl), перекручення (distortion, garble, mutilation, perversion). (various references)

Vietnamese 

sự xoắn (torsion, twist), sự vặn mạnh, sự giật mạnh sự trật. (various references)

Zulu

ukhiye (key), isikhiye (key). (various references)

clavis, convulsa, convulsam, extorqueo. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "wrench": wrenched, wrenches, wrenching, wrenchingly. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Wrench" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Rench, Rensch, wency, wrank, wrency, wrenk, wrink, wrocht. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: wench.

-2 letters: chew, crew, hern, hewn, when, wren.

-3 letters: ern, hen, her, hew, new, rec, wen.

-4 letters: eh, en, er, he, ne, re, we.

+1 letter: wencher, wincher.

+2 letters: wenchers, winchers, wrenched, wrenches.

+3 letters: charwomen, chinaware, rechewing, workbench, wrenching.

+4 letters: chairwomen, chinawares, chowdering, cowpuncher, whickering.

+5 letters: anchorwomen, benchwarmer, checkrowing, churchwomen, cowpunchers, kitchenware, workbenches, wrenchingly.