🧱 To force in 🪓 A tapered block ⛳ A golf club 🥪 A large sandwich 👠 A raised heel 🔤 A diacritic

to wedge

54 4.9

To force something tightly into a narrow space

verb
/wɛdʒ/

: encajar

She had to wedge the suitcase into the car trunk because it was too full.
wedged between rocks
wedge together

So takes a bit more work to wedge oneself out of that.

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Examples

So I tried to wedge a screwdriver in there.
So I'll just take a little bit longer board and just wedge it down in there.
- We need something to wedge these doors open.

Deadlocked (2020)
Just wedge those right in your ears.

The Ladykillers (2004)
The car is just wedged here.

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
It's wedged behind the engine.

Nine Minutes (2020)
I pushed the door open, wedged it to keep it that way, and stepped inside.

Fiction book (1991)
There's something wedged down in here right by the air duct.

Four (2021)
Our host appeared on cue, bending nearly double to wedge his nine-foot frame through a seven-foot door.

Fiction book (1991)
Beside me now, he was wedged in, hanging out in the aisle, snoring loudly.

Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

to stick

vsto wedge

769 1.0

To attach something to a surface or push it into with a point

is concerned with tight insertion into narrow spaces rather than general attachment

to force

vsto wedge

376 1.9

To push something so it moves or opens

is narrower, focusing on pushing items into tight narrow spaces

to squeeze

vsto wedge

192 2.8

To move into a narrow space with difficulty

is about fitting tightly into a narrow gap without stressing effort

to stick in

vsto wedge

45 3.0

Push something into another thing so it goes inside

is about tight secure insertion into narrow spaces rather than simple placing

to shoehorn

vsto wedge

6 7.7

To force someone or something into a space that is too small

is about pushing or fitting tightly into a narrow space, not mainly figurative placement

to lodge

vsto wedge

4 5.0

To become stuck in something or push something to stay there

is about deliberate tight fitting into narrow gaps rather than accidental lodgedness

to snug

vsto wedge

4 3.5

To fit closely and comfortably around a person or thing

involves tight fitting by pushing into narrow spaces, often with pressure

to squoosh

vsto wedge

Informal

1 9.1

To squeeze people or things into a small space to make them fit

pushes or fits tightly into a narrow space rather than only crowding

to scrooch

vsto wedge

9.9

To press people or things together so they fit in a small space

focuses on forcing a good, tight fit into a narrow space rather than shrinking

Antonyms

to remove

∞ 1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

to loosen

88 1.0

Make something less tight so it can move or open

Idioms

to drive a wedge

13 7.6

To cause people to argue or become divided on purpose

Compounds

sand wedge

Specialized

2 4.1

A golf club with a heavy angled head used to lift a ball out of sand

pitching wedge

Jargon

1 4.6

A golf club that makes the ball go high for short shots onto the green

wedge heel

1 3.7

A thick triangular part under a shoe that lifts the back of the foot

wedge shape

1 3.6

A shape wide at one end and narrow at the other

hand wedge

Specialized

7.1

A small tool you put under something to hold it steady for a short time

wedge sum

Specialized

9.9

A shape made by joining several spaces, like two circles, at one point

wedge bone

Specialized

9.6

The part of the sirloin near the rump in a roast of beef

How Tight

to wedge

54 4.9

to cram

16 3.2

to jam

15 3.4

to squeeze

192 2.8

to fit

761 1.0

slide

5 1.0

Surface Forms

wedge infinitive

wedged past

wedged past participle

wedging present participle

wedges third person singular

Etymology

Wedge as a verb comes from the idea of using a wedge tool — to force something into a tight space or to hold it fast. So to wedge yourself into a seat or to wedge a suitcase into a rack means to push it in tightly like that tool.