Meanings
present singular third person puts through the wringer · participle present putting through the wringer
- idiomaticTo interrogate or scrutinize closely; to subject to some trial or ordeal.
They really put each candidate through the wringer before choosing one to hire.
1 more example
Psychiatrists say that for many people who have been put through the wringer over the past decade, the climate extremes are one crisis too many.
2023 September 16, Jason Horowitz, “How Do We Feel About Global Warming? It’s Called Eco-Anxiety.”, in The New York Times, →ISSNSynonyms: run through the wringer, put through the mangle
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo interrogate or scrutinize closely; to subject to some trial or ordeal.
Translations
Finnish vetää mankelin läpi
- vetää mankelin läpito subject to trial or ordeal
Polish wypytywać, wypytać
- wypytywaćto subject to trial or ordeal
- wypytaćto subject to trial or ordeal
Cite this entry
put through the wringer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20through%20the%20wringer
“put through the wringer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20through%20the%20wringer. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put through the wringer,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20through%20the%20wringer.
Source: put through the wringer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.