WRING (wrung)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: wrung   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does wring mean? 

• WRING (noun)
  The noun WRING has 1 sense:

1. a twisting squeeze

  Familiarity information: WRING used as a noun is very rare.

• WRING (verb)
  The verb WRING has 4 senses:

1. twist and press out of shape

2. twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish

3. obtain by coercion or intimidation

4. twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid

  Familiarity information: WRING used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WRING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A twisting squeeze

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

squeeze; wring

Context example:

gave the wet cloth a wring

Hypernyms ("wring" is a kind of...):

motion; movement (a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something)

Derivation:

wring (twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid)

• WRING (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they wring    ... he / she / it wrings   
Past simple: wrung   
Past participle: wrung   
-ing form: wringing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Twist and press out of shape

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

contort; deform; distort; wring

Hypernyms (to "wring" is one way to...):

distort; twine; twist (form into a spiral shape)

Verb group:

wrench; wring (twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish)

wring (twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "wring"):

morph (change shape as via computer animation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

wrench; wring

Context example:

Wring one's hand

Hypernyms (to "wring" is one way to...):

distort; twine; twist (form into a spiral shape)

Verb group:

contort; deform; distort; wring (twist and press out of shape)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Also:

wring out (extract (liquid) by squeezing or pressing)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Obtain by coercion or intimidation

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

extort; gouge; rack; squeeze; wring

Context example:

They squeezed money from the owner of the business by threatening him

Hypernyms (to "wring" is one way to...):

fleece; gazump; hook; overcharge; pluck; plume; rob; soak; surcharge (rip off; ask an unreasonable price)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "wring"):

bleed (get or extort (money or other possessions) from someone)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something from somebody

Sense 4

Meaning:

Twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

wring the towels

Hypernyms (to "wring" is one way to...):

crush; mash; squash; squeeze; squelch (to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition)

Verb group:

contort; deform; distort; wring (twist and press out of shape)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

wring (a twisting squeeze)

wringer (a clothes dryer consisting of two rollers between which the wet clothes are squeezed)

 Context examples 

Marianne sighed out her similar apprehension; and Elinor's heart wrung for the feelings of Edward, while braving his mother's threats, for a woman who could not reward him.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

You will wring no more hearts as you wrung mine.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I could speak no more at that time, but I wrung his hand; and if ever I have loved and honoured any man, I loved and honoured that man in my soul.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

To involve her in the danger of a second detection, to court her into an apartment which must wring her heart, could not be the office of a friend.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

She threw herself on her knees, and raising up her hands, cried the same words in tones which wrung my heart.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

He was still holding me by the wrist, and at that he give it quite a wring.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Then suddenly he plunged forward, wrung my hand, and congratulated me warmly on my success.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But I was soon relieved by one of our servants, who wrung off the bird’s neck, and I had him next day for dinner, by the queen’s command.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Your brothers, to-day, are ignorant barbarians compared with me and the knowledge I have wrung from the books in the hours they were sleeping.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

For all the world like a woman wringing her hands, he raised his clenched fists and groaned.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)