wrench

B2 · Upper Intermediate Medicine

v. to hurt a part of your body, like your ankle or shoulder, by twisting it suddenly.

v. to injure a limb or joint by a sudden and violent twist or strain.

“She wrenched her knee while playing soccer and had to leave the game.”

“He wrenched his shoulder during the fall, necessitating several weeks of intensive physical therapy to regain full mobility.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun American English

n. a metal tool used for holding and turning nuts, bolts, or pipes.

n. a hand tool, often adjustable, used for gripping and turning nuts, bolts, or pipes.

“You will need a wrench to tighten the bolts on the bicycle wheel.”

“The mechanic reached for a heavy-duty wrench to loosen the rusted pipe fitting under the sink.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary

n. a feeling of sadness or pain caused by leaving someone or something you love.

n. a feeling of sudden and violent emotional pain or distress, typically caused by a forced separation.

“Leaving his childhood home for the last time was a terrible wrench.”

“The sudden departure of the long-serving headmaster was a painful wrench for the entire school community.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Technical

n. a special way to describe forces and turning movements in physics.

n. a force and a couple whose vector is parallel to the force, representing the most general system of forces acting on a rigid body.

“The professor explained how a wrench represents forces in three-dimensional space.”

“In screw theory, any system of forces acting on a rigid body can be reduced to a single wrench acting along a unique axis.”