1squeeze and twist (something) to force liquid from it:she wrung the cloth out in the sink
[with object and adverbial] extract (liquid) by squeezing and twisting something:I wrung out the excess water
squeeze (someone’s hand) tightly, especially with sincere emotion:he fervently wrung Rose’s hand
[with object and adverbial] obtain (something) with difficulty or effort:few concessions were wrung from the government
2break (an animal’s neck) by twisting it forcibly:the chicken shrieked as one of the women wrung its neck humorousI’ll wring her neck when I lay hands on her
3cause pain or distress to:the letter must have wrung her heart
wring one's hands
clasp and twist one’s hands together as a gesture of great distress, especially when one is powerless to change the situation:she was wringing her hands in agitationthere was little they could do about it except wring their hands
