: a piece of a substance (such as wood or iron) that tapers to a thin edge and is used for splitting wood and rocks, raising heavy bodies, or for tightening by being driven into something
2
a
: something (such as a policy) causing a breach or separation
b
: something used to initiate an action or development
3
: something wedge-shaped: such as
a
: an array of troops or tanks in the form of a wedge
b
: the wedge-shaped stroke in cuneiform characters
c
: a shoe having a heel extending from the back of the shoe to the front of the shank and a tread formed by an extension of the sole
d
: an iron golf club with a broad low-angled face for maximum loft
Noun
He used a wedge to split the firewood.
A wedge held the door open.
The battalion formed a wedge and marched toward the enemy. Verb
She wedged her foot into the crack.
The dog got wedged between the couch and the end table.
I wedged myself into the car's back seat.
She wedged the door open.
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Noun
The acid, much like the lime wedge also provided, makes for a well-rounded bite.—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2025 Its 3 most popular items served are its signature dish, the avocado smash, its warm chicken & ancients grain bowl, and its Bluestone burrito with spicy potato wedges.—Gary Stern, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
Tang and Panday’s brick single-family home is wedged between two small multifamily buildings, sitting slightly back from the street on a quiet block.—Lizzie Kane, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025 Redford’s skill is in fleshing out the terms of that fantasy, and proving desirable even as their politics and lifestyles wedge them apart.—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wedge
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English wegge, from Old English wecg; akin to Old High German wecki wedge, Lithuanian vagis
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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