How to Use wrench in a Sentence

wrench

1 of 2 verb
  • She wrenched the toy from his grasp.
  • I tried to wrench free from his grip.
  • The statue was wrenched from its pedestal.
  • He wrenched his back when he tried to lift a heavy box.
  • I tried to wrench myself free from his grip.
  • Despite the loss, one of the most thrilling, heart-wrenching games of the past five years.
    Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, 17 June 2019
  • That's about 17 more heart-wrenching twists of the knife than feels good.
    Perri O. Blumberg, Redbook, 16 Oct. 2019
  • Lawrence’s knee was wrenched underneath him on the play.
    Greg Moore, azcentral, 28 Dec. 2019
  • The soldier watched as the latest ambulance pulled through the gates and medics wrenched open the door.
    Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2019
  • Many shouted at the staff, and several hit and kicked the booth and tried to wrench open its door and to argue with the staff.
    New York Times, 24 Apr. 2022
  • That's just a gut-wrenching way to drop two points for a club teetering on the edge of the playoff line.
    Avi Creditor, SI.com, 19 Aug. 2019
  • Schools in the area have found themselves in wrenching debates over the topic.
    oregonlive, 26 June 2023
  • End of carousel On the Gaza side of the compound, a section of the steel fence had been wrenched free, the entry point for at least some of the Hamas fighters.
    Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
  • No doubt the outfit was capable, but in that setting, the stick couldn’t wrench them in quick enough.
    Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 8 Nov. 2023
  • Two Caterpillar D7 tractors were deployed to wrench it out of the muck, but the darn thing would not budge.
    Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2022
  • In the video, a Ford pickup truck on a road wrenches the Tesla vehicle up the slope.
    Steve Mollman, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2023
  • Both actresses have enough charisma to wrench the film from Stiles and Thomas.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2021
  • In her op-ed, Jayapal wrote of the heart-wrenching process of watching her child struggle in the months after birth.
    Anna North, Vox, 14 June 2019
  • In the second quarter, Davis sprinted the length of the court to chase down Devin Booker and swat away his layup — only to wrench his left knee.
    New York Times, 28 May 2021
  • The show fits right into the Disney era, which helped wrench the wheel of the musical steamship toward the teen market.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2023
  • Ivan, James, and Karl all take Becca aside, but only Karl dares to wrench her hand into his and read her palm.
    Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2021
  • There, nothing rested on my ability to wrench words from my throat in front of my peers.
    Dan Musgrave, Longreads, 9 May 2023
  • In a shaking voice, Tyler finally tells Clay the truth about what Monty did to him, and it’s gut-wrenching.
    Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, 24 Aug. 2019
  • On a wrenching three-hour drive from the mesa over old logging roads, seven black bears were sighted.
    San Antonio Express-News, 18 Oct. 2019
  • Eventually, Tsay was able to wrench the gun away from Tran.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2023
  • Begin lowering the car until the tire just touches the ground, then tighten the lug nuts with your lug wrench some more.
    Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping, 4 Dec. 2020
  • Both have kitchens and share outdoor space to wrench on bikes or celebrate post-ride with a cocktail.
    Stephanie Pearson, Outside Online, 2 Nov. 2022
  • Cars slammed on brakes, wrenched steering wheels, and skidded in heavy traffic to avoid the innocents.
    Sainted & Tainted Writers, Twin Cities, 29 June 2019
  • In normal times, that would be unnerving news, a sign of storms coming and a climate wrenched awry.
    Maryn McKenna, Wired, 4 May 2020
  • Judging by motifs of the past, some years the commercials are downright weird, while other eras the bulk focused on heart wrenching sentimentality.
    Rob Ledonne, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024
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wrench

2 of 2 noun
  • It was a wrench to say goodbye to all my friends.
  • Acid, such as the vinegar in Gurjar’s recipe, can throw a wrench in the plan.
    Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 29 Oct. 2022
  • Then clamp the elbow in a vise, and secure the connections with a wrench on the valve's facets.
    Joe Kohl-Riggs, Popular Mechanics, 27 July 2023
  • But then the movie throws a wrench into the affair by way of temptation.
    K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2023
  • Try to remove a stuck hex bolt with a 12-point wrench, and those six sides can become one.
    Popular Mechanics, 26 Jan. 2023
  • Pappas has contended that the Land Bank has thrown a wrench in the scavenger sale through the years.
    Darcel Rockett, chicagotribune.com, 26 Jan. 2022
  • Late in the year, though, the omicron variant threw a wrench into planning.
    Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2022
  • The 23-year-old was found with a .22-caliber gunshot to an eye, stabbed, and bludgeoned with a wrench, Rhodes said.
    Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 27 Aug. 2023
  • Always carry a wrench, jumper cables and a quart of oil.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2022
  • The trophy and wrench get their shiny silver coat from aluminum foil.
    Deborah Way, Parents, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Use an adjustable wrench to loosen and unscrew the old shower head.
    Daniel Bortz, Washington Post, 30 June 2022
  • If the valve is outside, lift its cover and use a crescent wrench to turn the water off.
    USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024
  • By signing the agreement, the Browns threw a wrench into the market for the league’s elite quarterbacks.
    Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Last episode, host and country star Jennifer Nettles threw the farmers and their daters quite the wrench.
    Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2024
  • Just in time, Joel screeches up in a truck with her uncle Tommy and beats the mother’s head in with a wrench.
    Will Bedingfield, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2023
  • The logo depicts a big bee in a sailor cap holding a hammer, a wrench, and a machine gun.
    Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2023
  • The movie was pushed to 2022 after the pandemic threw a wrench in everyone's plans.
    Christian Holub, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2022
  • To loosen the nuts, use a wrench and turn in a counterclockwise direction.
    Lauren Farrell, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023
  • The series premiered 16 months ago and was in the process of shooting Season 2 when the writers strike threw a wrench into things.
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2023
  • People are killed with poisons, stabbed, thrown from the balcony of a museum, hit over the head with a large wrench.
    Naaman Zhou, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2023
  • But now the local paper is throwing a wrench into her rhythms.
    Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2022
  • Like so many others, however, the pandemic threw a wrench in the plans.
    Kenan Draughornestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2022
  • After leading them around the city, Bauters pulled a wrench from his pocket to fix the front wheel of a reporter’s mountain bike.
    Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2022
  • Protect the showerhead with a cloth, and then tighten with a wrench to prevent leaks.
    Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Oct. 2022
  • The pit is outfitted with a few special tools like a wrench, hammer, oil can, and a nut driver.
    Sal Vaglica, Car and Driver, 21 Jan. 2023
  • This surprise rubbed many the wrong way, throwing a wrench in their summer racing plans.
    Andy Cochrane, Outside Online, 21 Sep. 2022
  • One approach is to start by teaching them about tools like a screwdriver and wrench and how they’re used.
    Michael Muthukrishna, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2023
  • The woman approached the deputies’ patrol vehicle and shattered the rear window with the wrench.
    Tony Briscoestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2022
  • Domestic markets have also thrown a wrench in the plans.
    Washington Post, 5 May 2022
  • The latest landslide, however, throws a wrench into that plan and will likely delay its reopening.
    Collin Woodard / Jalopnik, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wrench.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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