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Feb 10, 2010
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wrench



Pronunciation: (rench), [key]
—v.t.
1. to twist suddenly and forcibly; pull, jerk, or force by a violent twist: He wrenched the prisoner's wrist.
2. to overstrain or injure (the ankle, knee, etc.) by a sudden, violent twist: When she fell, she wrenched her ankle.
3. to affect distressingly as if by a wrench.
4. to wrest, as from the right use or meaning: to wrench the facts out of context.

—v.i.
1. to twist, turn, or move suddenly aside: He wrenched away.
2. to give a wrench or twist at something.

—n.
1. a wrenching movement; a sudden, violent twist: With a quick wrench, she freed herself.
2. a painful, straining twist, as of the ankle or wrist.
3. a sharp, distressing strain, as to the feelings.
4. a twisting or distortion, as of meaning.
5. a tool for gripping and turning or twisting the head of a bolt, a nut, a pipe, or the like, commonly consisting of a bar of metal with fixed or adjustable jaws.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

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