The Collaborative Dictionary

Wring \Wring\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrung, Obs. Wringed; p. pr. & vb. n. Wringing.] [OE. wringen, AS. wringan; akin to LG. & D. wringen, OHG. ringan to struggle, G. ringen, Sw. vr[aum]nga to distort, Dan. vringle to twist. Cf. Wrangle, Wrench, Wrong.] [1913 Webster]

To twist and compress; to turn and strain with violence; to writhe; to squeeze hard; to pinch; as, to wring clothes in washing. "Earnestly wringing Waverley's hand." --Sir W. Scott. "Wring him by the nose." --Shak. [1913 Webster] [His steed] so sweat that men might him wring. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] The king began to find where his shoe did wring him. --Bacon. [1913 Webster] The priest shall bring it [a dove] unto the altar, and wring off his head. --Lev. i.

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Hence, to pain; to distress; to torment; to torture. [1913 Webster] Too much grieved and wrung by an uneasy and strait fortune. --Clarendon. [1913 Webster] Didst thou taste but half the griefs That wring my soul, thou couldst not talk thus coldly. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

To distort; to pervert; to wrest. [1913 Webster] How dare men thus wring the Scriptures? --Whitgift. [1913 Webster]

To extract or obtain by twisting and compressing; to squeeze or press (out); hence, to extort; to draw forth by violence, or against resistance or repugnance; -- usually with out or form. [1913 Webster] Your overkindness doth wring tears from me. --Shak. [1913 Webster] He rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece. --Judg. vi.

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To subject to extortion; to afflict, or oppress, in order to enforce compliance. [1913 Webster] To wring the widow from her 'customed right. --Shak. [1913 Webster] The merchant adventures have been often wronged and wringed to the quick. --Hayward. [1913 Webster]

(Naut.) To bend or strain out of its position; as, to wring a mast. [1913 Webster]

Wring \Wring\, v. i. To writhe; to twist, as with anguish. [1913 Webster] 'T is all men's office to speak patience To those that wring under the load of sorrow. --Shak. [1913 Webster] Look where the sister of the king of France Sits wringing of her hands, and beats her breast. --Marlowe. [1913 Webster]

Wring \Wring\, n. A writhing, as in anguish; a twisting; a griping. [Obs.] --Bp. Hall. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

wring n : a twisting squeeze; "gave the wet cloth a wring" [syn: squeeze]

1 twist and press out of shape [syn: contort, deform, distort]

2 twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish; "Wring one's hand" [syn: wrench]

3 obtain by coercion or intimidation; "They extorted money from the executive by threatening to reveal his past to the company boss"; "They squeezed money from the owner of the business by threatening him" [syn: extort, squeeze, rack, gouge]

4 twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid; "wring the towels" [also: wrung]

Moby Thesaurus

afflict, agonize, ail, anamorphism, anamorphosis, asymmetry, badger, bend, bite, blackmail, bloody, buckle, burn, chafe, claim, claw, concentrate, contort, contortion, convulse, corkscrew, crinkle, crook, crookedness, crucify, crumple, cut, decoct, demand, detorsion, deviation, disproportion, distill, distort, distortion, distress, essentialize, exact, exaction, excruciate, express, extort, extortion, fester, force from, fret, gall, give pain, gnarl, gnaw, gouge, grate, grind, gripe, harrow, hurt, imbalance, impale, inflame, inflict pain, infuse, intort, irregularity, irritate, kill by inches, knot, lacerate, lancinate, levy blackmail, lopsidedness, macerate, martyr, martyrize, meander, melt down, nip, pain, pierce, pinch, press, press out, prick, prolong the agony, pry loose from, punish, put to torture, quirk, rack, rankle, rasp, refine, rend, rend from, render, rending, rip, rip from, ripping, rub, savage, scallop, scarify, screw, serpentine, shake down, slink, snake, snatch from, soak, spring, squeeze, stab, steep, sting, swirl, tear from, tearing, torment, torsion, tortuosity, torture, try, turn, turn awry, tweak, twine, twirl, twist, twist and turn, unsymmetry, warp, whirl, whorl, wind, worm, wound, wrench, wrench from, wrenching, wrest, wresting, wring from, wring out, wringing, writhe, wry

English

Etymology

wringan

Pronunciation

• , /ɹɪŋ/, /rIN/

  Homophones: ring

  Rhymes: -ɪŋ

Verb

1. To squeeze or twist tightly so that liquid is forced out.

   You must wring your wet jeans before hanging them out to dry.

2. To obtain by force.

   The police said they would wring the truth out of that heinous criminal.

3. To hold tightly and press or twist.

   Some of the patients waiting in the dentist's office were wringing their hands nervously.

   He said he'd wring my neck if I told his girl friend.

Translations