Wring v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrung Obs. Wringed p. pr. & vb. n. Wringing.]
1. 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.
[His steed] so sweat that men might him wring. --Chaucer.
The king began to find where his shoe did wring him. --Bacon.
The priest shall bring it [a dove] unto the altar, and wring off his head. --Lev. i. 15.
2. Hence, to pain; to distress; to torment; to torture.
Too much grieved and wrung by an uneasy and strait fortune. --Clarendon.
Didst thou taste but half the griefs
That wring my soul, thou couldst not talk thus coldly. --Addison.
3. To distort; to pervert; to wrest.
How dare men thus wring the Scriptures? --Whitgift.
4. 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.
Your overkindness doth wring tears from me. --Shak.
He rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece. --Judg. vi. 38.
5. To subject to extortion; to afflict, or oppress, in order to enforce compliance.
To wring the widow from her 'customed right. --Shak.
The merchant adventures have been often wronged and wringed to the quick. --Hayward.
6. Naut. To bend or strain out of its position; as, to wring a mast.
Wrung imp. & p. p. of Wring.
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wring
n : a twisting squeeze; "gave the wet cloth a wring" [syn: squeeze]
v 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]