wrench

Everyday

1. (tool) A metal tool for gripping and turning nuts and bolts; in the UK it is usually called a spanner. tree →
2. (verb) To pull or twist something suddenly and hard: wrench the door open. tree →
3. To injure a joint by twisting it: wrench your ankle. tree →
4. A sad feeling when you have to leave someone or something: leaving home was a wrench. tree →

In the lessons

A tool, action and feelings word. In design and technology lessons you use a wrench or spanner. In stories: a door is wrenched open, a toy wrenched from someone's hands. In The Wind in the Willows it is a wrench for Mole and Rat to leave the river, and for Toad to give up his motor cars. Safety: if you wrench your ankle, rest, ice and raise it, and tell an adult.

Examples

• Pass me the wrench so I can tighten the bolt. tree →
• He wrenched the lid off the jar. tree →
• She wrenched her ankle playing netball. tree →
• Leaving the old house was a real wrench. tree →
• The wind wrenched the umbrella from my hand. tree →
• Dad used a wrench to fix the bike. tree →
• Directly the box was in my hands I wrenched off the cover. tree →

Note

Regular verb. In the UK «spanner» is the usual word for the tool; «wrench» is American (in the UK a wrench is an adjustable or pipe wrench). Similar verbs: twist, yank.