: 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
Marin finally saw a leaderboard showing her four shots ahead and said the adrenaline played a part in hitting a wedge over the green.—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026 Serve immediately with lemon wedges.—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
Yes to recording, at age 15 and at breakneck speed, her first of two multiplatinum albums, with gargantuan world tours wedged in between.—Jackson Howard, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2026 Expect boulders wedged between undulating 200-foot-high red sandstone walls, loose sand, and tricky obstacles to maneuver.—Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026 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