Definition of "wrench"

A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug.  quotations  examples

An injury caused by a violent twisting or pulling of a limb; strain, sprain.  examples

(obsolete) A trick or artifice.

(obsolete) Deceit; guile; treachery.

(obsolete) A turn at an acute angle.

(archaic) A winch or windlass.

(obsolete) A screw.

A distorting change from the original meaning.  examples

(US) A hand tool for making rotational adjustments, such as fitting nuts and bolts, or fitting pipes; a spanner.  examples

(UK) An adjustable spanner used by plumbers.  examples

A violent emotional change caused by separation.  examples

(physics) In screw theory, a screw assembled from force and torque vectors arising from application of Newton's laws to a rigid body.  examples

(obsolete) means; contrivance  quotations

In coursing, the act of bringing the hare round at less than a right angle, worth half a point in the recognised code of points for judging.  examples

(transitive) To pull or twist violently.  examples

(transitive) To injure (a joint) by pulling or twisting.  examples

(transitive) To distort the original meaning of; to misrepresent.  examples

(transitive) To rack with pain; to be hurt or distressed.  examples

(transitive) To deprive by means of a violent pull or twist.  examples

(transitive) To use a wrench; to twist with a wrench.  examples

(intransitive, obsolete) To violently move in a turn or writhe.

(transitive, obsolete) To tighten with or as if with a winch.  quotations

(transitive, obsolete) To thrust a weapon in a twisting motion.

(intransitive, fencing, obsolete) To disarm an opponent by whirling his or her blade away.