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wrench

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wrench¹

  • /ˈɹɛnt͡ʃ/ US, UK
  • [ˈɹʷɛnt͡ʃ] US, UK
  • /ˈɹent͡ʃ/ Australia
  • [ˈɹʷent͡ʃ] ~ [ˈɹʷe̞nt͡ʃ] Australia
  • /ˈɹent͡ʃ/ New Zealand
  • [ˈɹʷe̝nt͡ʃ] ~ [ˈɹʷɪnt͡ʃ] New Zealand
  • /ˈɾɛnt͡ʃ/ Scotland, Wales
  • /ˈɹɪnt͡ʃ/ pin pen merger
  • [ˈɹʷɪnt͡ʃ] pin pen merger

Rhymes with -ɛntʃ

Where it comes from

From Middle English wrench, from Old English wrenċ, from Proto-Germanic *wrankiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wreng- (“to turn”). Compare German Rank (“plot, intrigue”).

noun wrenches · wrenche · wrinche · wringe

  1. A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug. With a wrench, which threw his victim back upon the bed as though hurled from a height, he turned and sprang at us.
  2. An injury caused by a violent twisting or pulling of a limb; strain, sprain.
  3. obsolete A trick or artifice.
  4. obsolete Deceit; guile; treachery.
  5. obsolete A turn at an acute angle.
  6. archaic A winch or windlass.
  7. obsolete A screw.
  8. A distorting change from the original meaning.
  9. Canada, Philippines, US A hand tool for making rotational adjustments, such as fitting nuts and bolts, or fitting pipes.

    Similar: spanner

  10. UK An adjustable spanner used by plumbers.
  11. A violent emotional change caused by separation.
  12. In screw theory, a screw assembled from force and torque vectors arising from application of Newton's laws to a rigid body.
  13. obsolete means; contrivance But weighing one thing with another he gave Britain for lost; but resolved to make his profit of this business of Britain, as a quarrel for war; and that of Naples, as a wrench and mean for peace
  14. In coursing, the act of bringing the hare round at less than a right angle, worth half a point in the recognised code of points for judging.

wrench²

  • /ˈɹɛnt͡ʃ/ US, UK
  • [ˈɹʷɛnt͡ʃ] US, UK
  • /ˈɹent͡ʃ/ Australia
  • [ˈɹʷent͡ʃ] ~ [ˈɹʷe̞nt͡ʃ] Australia
  • /ˈɹent͡ʃ/ New Zealand
  • [ˈɹʷe̝nt͡ʃ] ~ [ˈɹʷɪnt͡ʃ] New Zealand
  • /ˈɾɛnt͡ʃ/ Scotland, Wales
  • /ˈɹɪnt͡ʃ/ pin pen merger
  • [ˈɹʷɪnt͡ʃ] pin pen merger

Rhymes with -ɛntʃ

Where it comes from

From Middle English wrenchen, from Old English wrenċan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrankijan, from Proto-Germanic *wrankijaną. Compare German renken.

verb wrenches · wrenching · wrenched · wrenche · wrinche

  1. transitive To pull or twist violently. With a surge of adrenaline, she wrenched the car door off and pulled out the injured man.
  2. transitive To injure (a joint) by pulling or twisting. Be careful not to wrench your ankle walking along those loose stones!
  3. transitive To distort the original meaning of; to misrepresent.
  4. transitive To rack with pain; to make hurt or distressed. And what actinic, mind-wrenching form could the countermeme take? How could human hands assemble something so devastatingly powerful and hold it steady; what human mind could wield it without exploding from the inside out?
  5. transitive To deprive by means of a violent pull or twist.
  6. transitive To use a wrench; to twist with a wrench. The plumber wrenched the pipes until they came loose.
  7. intransitive, obsolete To violently move in a turn or writhe.
  8. obsolete, transitive To tighten with or as if with a winch. [S]end me that hag hither; she shall avouch what it was that she hath given to the wretch Dryfesdale, or the pilniewinks and thumbikins shall wrench it out of her finger-joints.
  9. obsolete, transitive To thrust (a weapon) in a twisting motion.
  10. intransitive, obsolete To disarm an opponent by whirling their blade away.

Wrench³

Where it comes from

From wrench, in the sense of trick, artifice, deceit, thus a nickname for a sly and wily person.

proper noun Wrenches

  1. A surname transferred from the nickname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: wrick, pull, twist, sprain, wring, turn, spanner, rick, pinch, knob, pincer, curly, clamp, tool, ignition, lock

Translations

Every language

noun violent twisting movement

Españoltirón
한국어비틀기 biteulgi, 뒤틀기 dwiteulgi
Portuguêssacalão
DeutschRuck
Italianostrappo, spinta, strattone, storta, slogatura
Românărăsucire

noun hand tool

Españolllave, llave de tuerca, llave inglesa
한국어첼라 chella, 워터펌프플라이어 woteopeompeupeullaieo
日本語レンチ renchi, スパナ supana
中文扳手 bānshǒu, 扳子 bānzi
Portuguêschave inglesa, chave de boca
Françaisclef à écrous, clef, clé, serre-écrou, clé de serrage
DeutschSchraubenschlüssel, Schlüssel
Italianochiave, serradadi, chiave inglese, chiave piatta
Românăcheie fixă
Русскийга́ечный клю́ч gáječnyj kljúč, клю́ч kljúč, разводно́й клю́ч razvodnój kljúč
العربيةمِفْتَاحُ رَبْط miftāḥu rabṭ

noun violent emotional change caused by separation

DeutschAbschiedsschmerz, Stich ins Herz
Italianostrazio, dolore

verb to pull or twist

한국어뒤틀다 dwiteulda, 비틀다 biteulda
Portuguêsarrancar
Françaisarracher
Deutschdrehen
Italianotorcere, storcere
Românătrage, invarti
Русскийвывёртывать vyvjórtyvatʹ, вырыва́ть vyryvátʹ, тяну́ть tjanútʹ, дёргать djórgatʹ

verb to sprain a joint

Portuguêsdeslocar, torcer
Deutschverrenken
Italianoslogare
Русскийвы́вихнуть vývixnutʹ

verb to use a wrench

Русскийвывёртывать vyvjórtyvatʹ, выкру́чивать vykrúčivatʹ

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MLA

"wrench." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wrench. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

wrench. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wrench

Chicago

"wrench." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wrench.

BibTeX
@misc{wrench_2026,
  title = {wrench},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wrench},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}