1
as in pulled
to move by or as if by a forceful rotation
with one last sharp yank, he wrenched the lid off the bottle of ketchup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
3
as in yanked
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
wrenched the post out of the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wrenched
Experts believe the crown’s flexible mount was strained when thieves wrenched it from its display through a narrow slot cut by the angle grinder, according to a report by the Louvre.
—
Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
And yet so much of the film community’s focus has been wrenched out of the past into an urgent present and uncertain future.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
Nellie wrenched her knees closer to her body, began rocking.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
In a moment when even humanitarian work around these regions can be wrenched by bad-faith political agendas, Mustafa’s framing of the purpose of Saturday’s show was savvy and measured.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
And Ahmed al-Ahmed, who came to Australia from Syria in 2006, a former policeman who now owns a fruit stand at Bondi Beach, tackled one of the gunmen and wrenched the rifle from him, even as he was wounded himself.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 20 Dec. 2025
The man then tackled the shooter and wrenched the gun away from him.
—Anders Hagstrom , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
In the video, one officer wrenched the bathroom door open.
—Idaho Statesman, 14 Nov. 2025
Phillips drove a Green Bay Packers tight end backward, latched onto running back Josh Jacobs with his long left arm and wrenched Jacobs downward.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
And yet so much of the film community’s focus has been wrenched out of the past into an urgent present and uncertain future.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
Nellie wrenched her knees closer to her body, began rocking.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
In a moment when even humanitarian work around these regions can be wrenched by bad-faith political agendas, Mustafa’s framing of the purpose of Saturday’s show was savvy and measured.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
And Ahmed al-Ahmed, who came to Australia from Syria in 2006, a former policeman who now owns a fruit stand at Bondi Beach, tackled one of the gunmen and wrenched the rifle from him, even as he was wounded himself.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 20 Dec. 2025
The man then tackled the shooter and wrenched the gun away from him.
—Anders Hagstrom , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
In the video, one officer wrenched the bathroom door open.
—Idaho Statesman, 14 Nov. 2025
Phillips drove a Green Bay Packers tight end backward, latched onto running back Josh Jacobs with his long left arm and wrenched Jacobs downward.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrenched
Verb
-
At one point, the individual appears to tilt their head away from a doorbell camera, hold a flashlight in their mouth and attempt to cover the lens with a gloved hand and what looked like part of a plant pulled from the yard.—
Bradford Betz , Matt Finn,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Wills pulled together a men’s fashion show with local and national celebrities, followed by dinner, dancing and a movie.—
Mark Woolsey,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Texas coach Vic Schaefer has also yanked post players Justice Carlton and Ashton Judd after on-court errors in the first half, and the Longhorns entered this timeout with four guards and Oldacre on the court.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Mitchell’s companion yanked a necklace off Reed’s neck before both suspects fled the area, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Yelkur ranked Google’s Gemini commercial about imagining a new home as one of the most emotionally appealing, likeable ads that tugged at the heartstrings.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
-
After a few demonstrations, Destiny tugged the cord the way Carol showed us, and the bike roared to life.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And that dislocation tore the labrum, which is the tissue that surrounds the socket and attaches it to the bone.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Fourteen people were displaced after a quick-moving second-alarm fire tore through a triple-decker home in Lynn Monday evening.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Doncic turned to run back up the court and grabbed the back of his left leg.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Jarrett Allen scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder added 11 points in his Cavaliers debut and Keon Ellis had 6 points in his first game with the Cavaliers, who won for the seventh time in eight games.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Over at Azur on Luminara, the menu reinvents itself every two days to mirror the port of call, like someone plucked the best taverna dishes off the coast and casually plated them in front of you.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
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This is ideal for decades of sliding across the ice, because bigger mineral grains are more likely to get plucked out by the ice, leaving holes in the surface that could cause unpredictable behavior.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The explosion, which ripped through the mosque during Friday prayers, was caused by a suicide bomber, police told CNN.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Four people are dead after a fire ripped through a DeKalb County home late Wednesday, officials said.—
Caroline Silva,
AJC.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wrenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrenched. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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