What does wrung mean?
Wrung is the past tense and past participle of wring, a verb meaning to twist or squeeze something forcefully. In its most literal sense, it describes wringing out a cloth, washing machine, or other object so that its liquid is forced out: “She wrung the wet towel over the sink.” The word also has a figurative use in which something painful, emotional, or valuable is extracted from a person or situation. A performance might “wring tears from the audience,” or an interviewer might “wring a confession from a suspect.” Finally, the expression “wrung out” describes someone exhausted or emotionally depleted. Although wrung is irregular in form, changing from the base verb wring, it is common in contemporary British and American English and is especially effective in descriptions of physical exertion, emotional intensity, and forceful extraction.
verbThe past tense and past participle of wring: to twist or squeeze something hard, especially to extract liquid from it. Figuratively, it can mean to force something from someone or to cause an intense emotional response.
- Twisted or squeezed hard, especially cloth or an object containing liquid.
- Forced or extracted from someone or something, especially tears, emotion, or a confession.
- Emptied of strength or energy; exhausted.
"She wrung the wet towel over the sink."
"She wrung the wet towel over the sink."
"His performance wrung tears from the audience."
One small twist can change a present-tense verb into a past-tense form: wring becomes wrung, just as ring becomes rung.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does wrung come from?
The word comes from Old English wringan, an Old Germanic verb meaning to twist, squeeze, or wring. It has close cognates in Dutch and German wringen and a related form in Swedish vringa. The irregular English past tense and past participle wrung developed alongside other Germanic verb patterns and became the standard forms used in both literal and figurative senses.
Related word forms
How wrung is actually used
Wrung is standard in both formal and informal English. It is most often transitive in its literal sense, while figurative uses can imply pressure, extraction, or an emotionally affecting effect.
Easily confused with wrung
Wring is the present-tense form of the verb, while wrung is its past tense and past participle.