wring out

verb

To squeeze (wet clothing or cloth), either by twisting with one's hands, or by passing it through a wringer, to remove the water.

“They wrung an extra $500 out of us for the transfer fees.”

Meanings

verbwring out (third-person singular simple present wrings out, present participle wringing out, simple past and past participle wrung out)

present singular third person wrings out · participle present wringing out · participle past wrung out · past wrung out

  1. transitiveTo squeeze (wet clothing or cloth), either by twisting with one's hands, or by passing it through a wringer, to remove the water.
  2. transitiveTo force someone to give (something), usually truth, or money.

    They wrung an extra $500 out of us for the transfer fees.

    1 more example

    I couldn't help it. I had to tell him. He wrung it out of me.

  3. transitiveaeronauticsTo push (an aircraft) to its performance limits; to push the envelope.

    Others listening to the conversation felt the same as I did, especially after having seen a local pilot really "wring" out the airplane at their local air show two weeks earlier.

    1983, Flying Magazine, June issue, page 94
    2 more examples

    Another difficulty has been that autopilots are designed for ordinary flying. They can't "wring out" a plane, being limited to about 45° in bank and pitch. Aerobatics are an impossibility.

    1951, Popular Science, March issue, page 46

    I had no conception of what it meant to ”wring out" an airplane until I rode with that magnificent man, and I can't remember his name. After he had scorched the paint off that AT-6, he very quietly said, ”Okay, take her back to the field."

    2012, Howard Brown, When I Get To Heaven, page 39

Synonyms & antonyms

verbextract (liquid) by squeezing or pressing

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

German auswringen
  • auswringento remove liquid by squeezing
Malay perah, peras
  • perahto remove liquid by squeezing
  • perasto remove liquid by squeezing
Māori tatau
  • tatauto remove liquid by squeezing
Polish wyżymać, wyżąć
  • wyżymaćto remove liquid by squeezing
  • wyżąćto remove liquid by squeezing
  • wyciskaćto force to give something
  • wycisnąćto force to give something
Russian выжима́ть, вы́жать
  • выжима́ть (vyžimátʹ)to remove liquid by squeezing
  • вы́жать (výžatʹ)to remove liquid by squeezing
  • выжима́ть (vyžimátʹ)to force to give something
  • вымога́ть (vymogátʹ)to force to give something
  • отжима́ть (otžimátʹ)to force to give something
Spanish estrujar
  • estrujarto remove liquid by squeezing
Tagalog pigas, piga
  • pigasto remove liquid by squeezing
  • pigato remove liquid by squeezing
  • pigisto remove liquid by squeezing

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

Cite this entry
APA

wring out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wring%20out

MLA

“wring out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wring%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wring out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wring%20out.

Source: wring out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.