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Wrench vs Wrest vs Wring

Wrenchwrestwring can all basically mean to turn or twist forcibly, but they tend to vary widely in the implied purpose or result of the action.

Wrench denotes a twisting or turning with considerable force, often with an abrupt tug or yank, so that the thing affected is twisted, distorted, or forced out of position; it may stress the violence of exertion in pulling or yanking.

Wrest commonly implies a twisting or wrenching, sometimes with crude violence, sometimes with continuing deftness and dexterity, from another’s possession into one’s own. The term is common in extended use in which it implies a seizing, usurping, capturing, or extorting by such means.

Wring applies basically to a compressive twisting together, often to express or extract, but in its extended use often implies a forcing or extorting (as by urgent demands or threats) that suggests a physical wringing.