wrench (r nch)n. 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. 4. a. A break or parting that causes emotional distress. b. 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. v. wrenched, wrench·ing, wrench·es v.tr. 1. a. To twist or turn suddenly and forcibly. b. 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. v.intr. To give a wrench, twist, or turn. [From Middle English wrenchen, to twist, from Old English wrencan; see wer-2 in Indo-European roots.] wrench  ing·ly adv. |   left to right: ratcheting box, adjustable, and open end wrenches |
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