as in twisting
a forceful rotating or pulling motion for the purpose of dislodging something
a firm wringing of the shoe got it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in squeezing
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats
that bill collector is willing to do anything to wring money out of deadbeats
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in earning
to get with great difficulty
after years of trying to wring a decent profit out of the business, he is finally giving up
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in pulling
to move by or as if by a forceful rotation
I'm so mad I could wring your neck
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in prying
to draw out by force or with effort
willing to use torture if necessary in order to wring the information out of the terrorist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wringing
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 Jan. 2026
That was a lot of that hand wringing in 2024.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
There was a lot of gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands.
—Alison Weinflash, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Most of the celebration and hand wringing over Moore’s law focuses on the ever-shrinking silicon transistor.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Jan. 2017
Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
Squeeze out excess water without wringing the scarf.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2026
As the complaining businesses are no doubt wringing their hands over the setback, shoppers are also bemoaning the havoc that tariffs have wreaked on their pocketbooks as the final week of holiday shopping ramps up.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Cal fans are wringing their hands in fear that Sagapolutele, one of the nation’s most promising young quarterbacks, could transfer in reaction to the coaching change.
—Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
With everyone following Neal’s lead, Lindsay realized that other than her and Doherty, no one was interested in wringing much out of Amazon.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic’s steep terrain will force air upward, wringing out more moisture from the storm, just like squeezing a wet sponge, turning tropical humidity into torrents racing downhill.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
For the past several years, writers and pundits have been wringing their hands over how few men are supposedly writing and reading fiction today.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Whatever minor hand-wringing the opening of the 113-room hotel may have caused, it’s been widely embraced in the few years since opening.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
Swish the fur through the water for no more than 10–15 minutes, avoiding excessive agitation and wringing.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 Jan. 2026
That was a lot of that hand wringing in 2024.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
There was a lot of gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands.
—Alison Weinflash, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Most of the celebration and hand wringing over Moore’s law focuses on the ever-shrinking silicon transistor.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Jan. 2017
Verb
Democrats wringing their hands and making appeals to process while the President sends people to Salvadoran prisons without trial are unfit to meet the moment, this theory says.
—Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
Squeeze out excess water without wringing the scarf.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2026
As the complaining businesses are no doubt wringing their hands over the setback, shoppers are also bemoaning the havoc that tariffs have wreaked on their pocketbooks as the final week of holiday shopping ramps up.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Cal fans are wringing their hands in fear that Sagapolutele, one of the nation’s most promising young quarterbacks, could transfer in reaction to the coaching change.
—Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
With everyone following Neal’s lead, Lindsay realized that other than her and Doherty, no one was interested in wringing much out of Amazon.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic’s steep terrain will force air upward, wringing out more moisture from the storm, just like squeezing a wet sponge, turning tropical humidity into torrents racing downhill.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
For the past several years, writers and pundits have been wringing their hands over how few men are supposedly writing and reading fiction today.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Whatever minor hand-wringing the opening of the 113-room hotel may have caused, it’s been widely embraced in the few years since opening.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wringing
Verb
-
The solar sector has been grappling with a prolonged price slump and oversupply, squeezing margins even as leading producers continue to add capacity.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
-
For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and watched a cylinder of frozen juice go ker-plunk into a pitcher.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Liu surprised fans when retiring a month after earning a bronze medal at the ‘22 World Championships.—
Elliott Almond,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Indiana Senate passes under-the-radar provision scrapping 'low-earning' college degrees.—
Evan Frank,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After that setback, the Seahawks lost their edge to stay ahead of a league designed to keep pulling teams toward the middle.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Yet the final also required Vonn to push her knee further than in either of her two training runs, when she could be seen pulling back around some turns so as not to exert too much strain before the main event.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Guesthouse Under the Reed Roof answers this with a central concrete block that contains the bathroom, positioning it safely away from prying eyes.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Video showed customs officers prying open a crate to find the rock, its surface grey and rugged.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Vying for a parking spot on a crowded city street after a snowstorm has long felt like going to battle, and now there's a harrowing twist.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The offerings range from classics — or contemporary twists on them — to musicals, historical pieces, political fare, dark comedy and experimental work, some of the productions crossing over into multiple genres.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bandit gangs control entire districts, extorting protection money from communities in cash or kind, killing those that resist.—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Instead of extorting money to decrypt data in a company’s own system, an attacker can just threaten to release sensitive data if the ransom isn’t paid.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hotel video footage showed the pair forcing entry into the hotel by yanking on a lobby door and breaking the lock.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The yellow bucket of a heavy construction excavator crashed down onto the roof of the vacant home at Parade Park, yanking it into a heap of split plaster and lumber.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Opening up new mining operations would be in keeping with the founding directive of the Forest Service, which mandates the balance of protecting resources and extracting them.—
Lauren Steele,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.—
Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wringing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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