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wring definition

wring (riŋ)

transitive verb wrung or Rarewringed, wringing wring′·ing

    1. to squeeze, press, twist, or compress, esp. so as to force out water or other liquid
    2. to force out (water or other liquid) by this means, as from wet clothes: usually with out
  2. to clasp and twist (the hands) together as an expression of distress
  3. to clasp (another's hand) forcefully in greeting
  4. to wrench or twist forcibly
  5. to get or extract by force, threats, persistence, etc.; extort
  6. to afflict with anguish, distress, pity, etc. a story to wring one's heart

Etymology: ME wringen < OE wringan, to press, compress, strain, akin to Ger ringen, to struggle, wrestle < IE *wreng- < base *wer-, to turn, bend > worm

intransitive verb

to writhe, squirm, or twist with force or great effort

noun

the action of wringing or twisting

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

wring Synonyms

wring

v.

press out, squeeze out, extract, compress, twist, turn, strain, contort, bleed out, draw from.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

wring Usage Examples

Object

  • ounce: Mr Blast gives us a tough, tough tune, unsurprisingly written by Sam Dees, that he wrings every ounce of emotion from.

Adjective complement

  • dry: Clean mops with soap and water rinsing in a bleach solution, wring as dry as possible and then hang to dry.

Modifying Another Word

  • n't: Do n't wring out or agitate too much and dry flat.

Particle object: out_obj

  • water: Stopped at Tintern Station picnic site to wring out the water.

Preposition: of

  • hand: This must cause much wringing of hands among the bambiists, who hate the thought of anyone enjoying the proliferation of wild game.
wring usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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"wring." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/wring>

APA Style

wring. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/wring

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