Word.ws English Dictionary

wring

UK/ɹɪŋ/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Midlands/ˈɹɪŋɡ/

wring verb: often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out.

Verb

wring (third-person singular simple present wrings, present participle wringing, simple past and past participle wrung or (archaic or dialectal) wrang or (rare) wringed)

  1. (transitive) Often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out.
    • I didn’t have a towel so I just wrung my hair dry.
    • […] Protagenes portrai[e]d Venus vvith a ſponge ſprinkled with ſvvéete vvater, but if once ſhe vvrong it, it vvould droppe blood: […]1580, Iohn Lyly [i.e., John Lyly], Euphues and His England. […], London: […] [Thomas East] for Gabriell Cawood, […], →OCLC, folio 53, recto
    1. (transitive) To squeeze water (from an item of wet clothing) by passing through a wringer.
      • “I feel I’ve been wrung through a wringer,” Maggie said.1988, Anne Tyler, chapter 1, in Breathing Lessons (A Borzoi Book), New York City: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, part 1, page 25
  2. (also, figuratively, transitive) Often followed by from or out: to extract (a liquid) from something wet by squeezing, twisting, or otherwise putting pressure on it.
    • Put the berries into a cheesecloth and wring the juice into a bowl.
    • And whan he roſe vp early on the morow, he wrãge [wrange] yͤ dew out of the fleſe, and fylled a dyſſhe full of water.1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, Judges vj:[38]...
  3. (also, figuratively, transitive) To hold (someone or something) tightly and press or twist; to wrest.
    • to wring someone’s hand
    • to wring the neck of a chicken
    Synonyms:
    strangle, throttle
    1. (also, figuratively, transitive) To clasp and twist (hands) together due to distress, sorrow, etc.
      • to wring one’s hands with worry
      • Come you whoſe loues are dead, / And whiles I ſing / Weepe and wring / Euery hand and euery head, […]1607 (first performance), [Francis Beaumont], The Knight of the Burning Pestle, London: […] [Nicholas Okes] for Walter Burre, […], published 1613, →OCLC, Act IV, signature [H4], verso
  4. (transitive) To bend or strain (something) out of its position; to wrench, to wrest.
    • to wring a mast
    • [B]y the couetous prieſtes of Baall through defaulte of good & godly Counſayllours, whome (doubte ye not but this wicked rable founde meanes to wring out of fauour, & to remoue awaye from the Kynges preſence) he was ſo coumpaced, weyghed, perſuaded, woonne, bewitched, peruerted & ſo farre ſeduced...1549 February 10 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1548), Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], “To the Moste Puissaunt Prince, and Our Moste Redoubted Soueraigne Lord Edward the Sixthe, […]”, in...
  5. (transitive) To contort or screw up (the face or its features).
    • Then would I laugh to ſee my lady pout, / And ſmyle when moſt ſhe wroung her mouth awry; […]1576, George Whetstone, “The Garden of Unthriftinesse, […]”, in The Rocke of Regard, […], London: […] [H. Middleton] for Robert Waley, →OCLC; republished in J[ohn] P[ayne] Collier, editor, The Rocke...
    • VVould'ſt haue me cry, run rauing vp & dovvn, / For my ſons loſſe? vvould'ſt haue me turn rank mad, / Or vvring my face vvith mimick action; / Stampe, curſe, vveepe, rage, & then my boſome ſtrike?1600 or 1601 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], Antonios Reuenge. The Second Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, and are to be soulde [by Matthew Lownes] […]...
  6. (transitive) To twist or wind (something) into coils; to coil.
  7. (transitive) Of a thing (such as footwear): to pinch or press (a person or part of their body), causing pain.
    • Myselfe can tell best where my shooe doth wring mee.1546, John Heywood, chapter V, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part II, page 121
    • [T]he muſicke likes me not, and I haue a ſhooe vvrings me to'th heart; beſides I haue a vvomans reaſon, I vvill not daunce, becauſe I vvill not daunce: […]1601–1602 (date written), attributed to Thomas Dekker and/or Thomas Middleton, Blurt Master-Constable. Or The Spaniards Night-walke. […], London: […] [Edward Allde] for Henry Rockytt, […], published...
  8. (UK, also, archaic, dialectal, figuratively, transitive) To cause (someone or something) physical harm, injury, or pain; specifically, by applying pressure or by twisting; to harm, to hurt, to injure.
    • A Lorde God, howe the gowte wryngeth me by the too!a. 1530 (date written), John Skelton, “Magnyfycence, a Goodly Interlude and a Mery, […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, […]...
    • I preethe Tom beat Cuts ſaddle; put a fevv flockes in the point, poor iade is vvroong in the vvithers, out of all ceſſe.c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]
    Synonyms:
    wound, wrench, abuse, annoy, bewound, damage, damnify, dere, do damage to, do for
  9. (figuratively, transitive) To cause (tears) to come out from a person or their eyes.
    • And art thou come, Horatio from the deapth, / To aske for iuſtice in this vpper earth? / To tell thy father thou art vnreuengde, / To vvring more teares from Iſabellas eyes: / VVhoſe lights are dim'd vvith ouer-long laments.c. 1587 (date written), [Thomas Kyd], The Spanish Tragedie: […] (Fourth Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for T[homas] Pauier, […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act III, signature I2, verso
    • The gripe of chaunce is vveake, to vvring a teare, / From him that knovves vvhat fortitude ſhould beare.1600 or 1601 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], Antonios Reuenge. The Second Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, and are to be soulde [by Matthew Lownes] […]...
  10. (figuratively, transitive) To cause distress or pain to (a person or their heart, soul, etc.); to distress, to torment.
    • And if he had not too much cheriſh’d his natural conſtitution, and propenſity; and been too much griev’d, and wrung by an uneaſy and ſtreight Fortune; he would have been an excellent Man of buſineſs, […]1702, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, book I, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], volume I, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian]...
    • Oh Portius, didſt thou taſte but half the Griefs / That wring my Soul, thou cou’dſt not talk thus coldly, […]1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 3
  11. (figuratively, transitive) To obtain (something) from or out of a person or thing by extortion or other force.
    • The police said they would wring the truth out of that criminal.
    • No Harry, Harry, ’tis no Land of thine; / Thy place is fill’d, thy Scepter vvrung from thee, […]c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
  12. (figuratively, transitive) To use effort to draw (a response, words, etc.) from or out of someone; to generate (something) as a response.
    • O noble ſir! / Your ouer kindneſſe doth vvring teares from me, […]1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act V...
    • My buſie heart ſhall ſpin it all my dayes: / And vvhen it ſtops for vvant of ſtore, / Then vvill I vvring it vvith a ſigh or grone, / That thou mayſt yet have more.[1633], George Herbert, “Praise”, in [Nicholas Ferrar], editor, The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by...
    Synonyms:
    elicit, provoke
Show 12 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive) To afflict or oppress (someone) to enforce compliance; to extort.
    • VVho can be bound by any ſolemne Vovv[…]
      To vvring the VViddovv from her cuſtom’d right,
      And have no other reaſon for this vvrong,
      But that he vvas bound by a ſolemne Oath?1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
    • [T]he Merchant aduenturers haue beene often vvronged and vvringed to the quicke, […]a. 1628 (date written), John Hayward, The Life, and Raigne of King Edward the Sixt, London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press, and J. Lichfield at Oxford?] for Iohn Partridge, […], published 1630, →OCLC, page...
  2. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive) To cause (someone) to do something or to think a certain way.
    • For men be ſo parciall alway to theim ſelfe, that our hart euer thinketh the iudgement wrong, that wringeth vs to the worſe.1528, Thomas More, “A Dialogue Concernynge Heresyes & Matters of Religion […]. Chapter III.”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London...
  3. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive) To change (something) into another thing.
    • As the wines which flow from the first treading of the grape are sweeter and better than those forced out by the press, which gives them the roughness of the husk and the stone, so are those doctrines best and sweetest which flow from a gentle crush of the Scriptures, and are not wrung into...1844 January–December, Leigh Hunt, “Christmas and Italy; or, A Modest Essay, Showing the Extreme Fitness of This Book for the Season”, in A Jar of Honey from Mount Hybla, London: Smith, Elder, and...
  4. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive) To give (teachings, words, etc.) an incorrect meaning; to twist, to wrest.
    • Lord, how dare these men thus wring the scriptures?1572, John Whitgift, “Whether Idolatrous Sacrificers and Mass-mongers may afterward be Ministers of the Gospel. Chap. ii. The First Division.”, in John Ayre, editor, The Works of John Whitgift, D.D....
    • Or elſe they vvould ſtraine us out a certaine figurative Prelat, by vvringing the collective allegory of thoſe ſeven Angels into ſeven ſingle Rochets.1642 (indicated as 1641), John Milton, “To the Argument of B[ishop] Andrews and the Primat”, in The Reason of Church-governement Urg’d against Prelaty […], London: […] E[dward] G[riffin] for Iohn...
    Synonyms:
    distort, pervert
  5. (figuratively, obsolete, reflexive, transitive) To put (oneself) in a position by cunning or subtle means; to insinuate.
    • Drudges, that haue no extraordinarie giftes of bodie nor of minde, filche themselues into some noble-mans seruice, either by bribes or by flatterie, and, when they are there, they so labour it with cap and knee, and ply it with priuie whisperinges, that they wring themsleues into his good opinion...1592, Thomas Nash[e], Pierce Penilesse His Supplication to the Deuill. […], London: […] [John Charlewood for] Richard Ihones, […], →OCLC
    • VVe vvring our ſelues into this vvretched vvorld, / To pule, and vveepe, exclaime, to curſe and raile, / To fret, and ban the fates, to ſtrike the earth / As I doe novv.c. 1599 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], The History of Antonio and Mellida. The First Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Mathewe Lownes, and Thomas Fisher, […], published 1602...
  6. (transitive, materials science) To slide (two ultraflat surfaces) together such that their faces bond.
    • For a given set of blocks with lengths in multiples of thousandths the lengths may be so selected as to make it possible, by combining different blocks in wringing contact end to end, to form a series having any desired length, measured in inches and thousandths; […]1919 April 9, William E. Hoke, Precision Gauge, US Patent 1,472,837 (PDF version), page 1, column 2
    • The number of optical wringing procedures performed for each gauge block was five, and the number of measurements for each wringing procedure was eleven.1997, Bulletin of the National Research Laboratory of Metrology, Tokyo: National Research Laboratory of Metrology, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 278, column 2
  7. (intransitive) To be engaged in clasping and twisting (especially the hands), or exerting pressure.
    • Go wash well, saith Sommer, with sunne I shall drie, / go wring well, saith Winter, with winde so shall I.1878, Thomas Tusser, “Washing”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam] Payne, Sidney...
    • […] Mr. VVet-eyes vvent vvith hands vvringing together.1682, John Bunyan, “[Mr. Desires-awake Goes Again and Takes One Wet-eyes with Him]”, in The Holy War, Made by Shaddai upon Diabolus, for the Regaining of the Metropolis of the World. […], London: […]...
  8. (intransitive) To twist the body in or as if in pain; to writhe.
    • No, no, tis all mens office to ſpeake patience / To thoſe that vvring vnder the loade of ſorrovv […]1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    • Bel[arius]. He vvrings at ſome diſtreſſe. / Gui[derius]. VVould I could free't.1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
  9. (figuratively, intransitive) To contend, to struggle; also, to strive, to toil.
    • Thus chaunce hath (by exchaunge) the flie ſo trapt, / That ſodainly he loſt his libertee: / The more he wrange, the faſter was he wrapt [in the spider's web] / And all to thencreaſe of his ieoberdee, […]1556, John Heywood, “The Introduction to the Matter, Showing howe the Flie Chaunced to Fall into the Spiders Copweb”, in The Spider and the Flie. […], London: […] Tho[mas] Powell, →OCLC; republished...
  10. (figuratively, intransitive) To experience distress, pain, punishment, etc.
    • [A]ll Ambaſſadours / (You knovv) haue chiefly theſe inſtructions; / […] / [T]o obſerue the countenances and ſpirites, / Of ſuch as are impatient of reſt; / And vvring beneath, ſome priuate diſcontent: […]c. 1607–1608 (date written), George Chapman, “Byrons Conspiracie”, in The Conspiracie, and Tragedie of Charles Duke of Byron, Marshall of France. […], London: […] G[eorge] Eld for Thomas Thorppe, and...
  11. (intransitive) Of a lode: to be depleted of ore; to peter or peter out.
  12. (intransitive, obsolete) To make a way out with difficulty.

Noun (1)

wring (plural wrings)

  1. (also, figuratively) A powerful squeezing or twisting action.
    • I grasped his hand and gave it a grateful wring.
    • The VVring by the hand, and the Banquet is ours.1600 (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Cynthias Reuels, or The Fountayne of Selfe-Loue. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby...
  2. (dated) Followed by down: the product of wringing, such as cider or wine.
    • She had just got off her mare to look at the last wring-down of cider for the year; […]1874, Thomas Hardy, “Converging Courses”, in Far from the Madding Crowd. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC, section III, page 274
  3. (obsolete) A sharp physical pain, especially in the abdomen; also, mental pain or distress.
    • Hens dung ſvvallovved [by a horse] by hap, bringeth frets and vvrings in the bellie: […]1606, Charles Steuens [i.e., Charles Estienne]; John Liebault [i.e., Jean Liébault], “Of the Carter, or Horsekeeper”, in Richard Surflet, transl., Maison Rustique, or The Countrey Farme: […], London...
    • [T]here vvas brought unto him an horſe named Babylonius, vvhich happening to be ſore vexed vvith a ſuddaine gripe or vvring in his belly, fell dovvne, and vvhiles hee vvas not able to endure the paine, vvallovveth along, and happeneth to beſprent his capariſon and ornaments richly garniſhed vvith...1609, Ammianus Marcellinus, “[The XXIII. Booke.] Chapter II. Being Departed out of Antioch, He was Troubled and Haunted with Strange Signes and Dreames: But afterwards Comforted againe by Sundrie...

Noun (2)

wring (plural wrings)

  1. (archaic) A device for compressing or pressing, especially for making cheese, cider from apples, or wine from grapes.
    • If you boil Cider eſpecial care muſt be had to put it into the furnace immediately from the vvring; othervviſe, if it be let ſtand in Vats, or veſſels, tvvo or three days after the preſſure, the beſt and moſt ſpiritous part vvill aſcend and fly avvay in the vapours vvhen fire is put under it; […] A...1664, John Newburgh, “[Pomona, or An Appendix Concerning Fruit-trees, in Relation to Cider, […].] Observations Concerning the Making and Preserving of Cider.”, in J[ohn] E[velyn], Sylva, or A...
    • In order to avoid a great deal of trouble, and to perform the work more effectually, by diveſting the nevv made Cyder of vvhat pummice and other impurities remain; after ſtraining it through a hair ſieve, on its coming from the VVring, or Preſs, it is neceſſary to be provided vvith a large open...1753, Hugh Stafford, “Sect[ion] VI. Of Proper Vessels for Receiving the Cyder for Its Fermentation; the Vigilance, Exact Care, and Attention Required in the First Fermentation of Cyder for Making It...
    Synonyms:
    press

wring meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam

wring in Tamil

கிழிதல்

wring in Urdu

مچلنا, مروڑ اٹھنا, لوٹنا, مریڑنا, نچوڑنا, امیٹھنا

wring in Bengali

মোচড় দেওয়া, চেপে ধরা

wring in Malayalam

ഞെക്കിപ്പിഴിയുക, കഴുത്തുഞെരിക്കുക, മുറുക്കുക, പിടിച്ചമർത്തുക
More languagesFewer languages
wring in Kannada
ಹಿಂಡು hiṇḍu
wring in Gujarati
નિચોવવું nicovvũ
wring in Indonesian
peras, remas
wring in Persian
چلاندن čelândan
wring in Vietnamese
vắt

Examples of wring in a sentence

  • O my belly ſeeths like a Porridge-pot, ſome cold water I ſhall boyle ouer elſe; my whole body is in a ſweat, that you may wring my ſhirt; feele here— […]c. 1626 or 1629–1633 (first performance), [John Ford], ’Tis Pitty Shee’s a Whore […], London: […] Nicholas Okes for Richard Collins, […]...
  • [W]e contrived to satisfy the cravings of thirst by suffering the shirts to become saturated, and then wringing them so as to let the grateful fluid trickle into our mouths.1838, [Edgar Allan Poe], chapter XIII, in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […]...
  • [Y]ou have to dig the moor and dry the marsh, to bid the morass give forth instead of engulphing, and to wring the honey and oil out of the rock.1857, John Ruskin, “Lecture I”, in The Political Economy of Art: Being the Substance (with Additions) of Two Lectures Delivered at...
  • […]I thought that he was as pleased by the shock value of what he had to say as he was thrilled by the spectacle of wringing his own blood from the sodden gauze pad into the sodden towel.1989, John Irving, “The Finger”, in A Prayer for Owen Meany, New York City: William Morrow and Company, →ISBN, page 381:

All 35 example sentences with wring

Synonyms of wring

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of wring

Forms of wring

Verb
third-person singular presentwrings
present participlewringing
past participlewrung
pastwrung
first-person singular pastwringed
second-person singular pastwringed
third-person singular pastwringed
plural pastwringed
past subjunctivewringed
past participlewringed
past participle (archaic, dialectal)wrang
past (archaic, dialectal)wrang
past participle (rare)wringed
past (rare)wringed
second-person singular present (archaic)wringest
second-person singular past (archaic)wringedst
third-person singular present (archaic)wringeth
Noun
pluralwrings

Past tense of wring: wrung or wringed

Origin of wring

From Middle English wring, wringe, wringen, wryng, wrynge, wryngen, wryngyn, from Old English wringan (“to wring”), from Proto-Germanic *wringaną (“to squeeze, twist, wring”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wrenǵʰ- (“to squeeze, wring”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wring (“to wring”), Saterland Frisian wringe (“to wring”), Dutch wringen (“to wring; to wrest; to writhe”), German ringen (“to wrestle; to struggle; to wring”), wringen (“to wring”), Luxembourgish réngen (“to grapple, wrestle”); also Ancient Greek ῥίμφα (rhímpha, “fast, nimbly, rapidly”), Lithuanian rangýti (“to roll up; to curl, twist, wave”).

Partly: * from Middle English wring, wringe (“twisting or wringing (of the neck)”), from Middle English wringen, wryngen (verb); and * from the modern English verb. See further at etymology 1.

From Middle English wring, wringe, wrynge (“a press, especially for olives or wine”) [and other forms], from Old English wringe, from wringan (verb): see further at etymology 1.

Words formed from wring

Phrases with wring

Words that rhyme with wring

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about wring

What does wring mean?
Wring means often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out.
What is wring in Tamil?
Wring in Tamil is கிழிதல். See Wring meaning in Tamil.
How do you use wring in a sentence?
O my belly ſeeths like a Porridge-pot, ſome cold water I ſhall boyle ouer elſe; my whole body is in a ſweat, that you may wring my ſhirt; feele here— […]
What part of speech is wring?
Wring can be a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce wring?
Wring is pronounced /ɹɪŋ/ (UK).
What is the past tense of wring?
The past tense of wring is wrung.

Words near wring in the dictionary

  1. wrinches
  2. wrinching
  3. wrine
  4. Wrinehill
  5. wrines
  6. wring
  7. wring out
  8. wring out one's sock
  9. wring-house
  10. wring-staff
  11. wring-stave

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: wring (page history and authors); wring (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); wring (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); wring (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); wring (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ಹಿಂಡು (Kannada) (page history and authors); નિચોવવું (Gujarati) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-ring.ogg.

Cite this entry: “wring.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/wring. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.