wrench - Dictionary definition and pronunciation - Yahoo! Education
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wrench
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wrench
left to right: ratcheting box, adjustable, and open end wrenches 		wrench  audio  (rnch) KEY 

NOUN:
  1. A sudden sharp, forcible twist or turn.
  2. An injury produced by twisting or straining.
  3. A sudden tug at one's emotions; a surge of compassion, sorrow, or anguish.
    1. A break or parting that causes emotional distress.
    2. The pain so associated: felt a wrench when he was parted from his children.
  5. A distortion in the original form or meaning of something written or spoken; twisted interpretation.
  6. Any of various hand or power tools, often having fixed or adjustable jaws, used for gripping, turning, or twisting objects such as nuts, bolts, or pipes.
VERB:
wrenched, wrench·ing, wrench·es
VERB:
tr.
    1. To twist or turn suddenly and forcibly.
    2. To twist and sprain: I wrenched my knee.
  2. To move, extract, or force free by pulling violently; yank. See Synonyms at jerk1.
  3. To pull at the feelings or emotions of; distress: It wrenched her to watch them go.
  4. To distort or twist the original character or import of: wrenched the text to prove her point.
VERB:
intr.
To give a wrench, twist, or turn.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Middle English wrenchen, to twist, from Old English wrencan; see wer-2 in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
wrenching·ly(Adverb)



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