Meaning & use
wedge
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Meanings
nouncountable
A piece of wood, metal or plastic that is thick at one end and thin at the other, used to split or hold things.
Grammar: Often a wedge under or between something.
Patterns
- a wedge under something
He put a wedge under the door to keep it open.
The woodcutter drove a metal wedge into the log.
A rubber wedge stopped the wheel rolling.
nouncountable
A piece of something shaped like a triangle, such as cake or cheese.
Grammar: Often a wedge of something.
Patterns
- a wedge of something
She cut a wedge of cheese.
He squeezed a wedge of lemon into his tea.
The pie was cut into six wedges.
verbtransitive
To push or fix something tightly into a small space.
Grammar: Often followed by a place: he wedged it between two boxes.
Patterns
- wedge something into something
- wedge something between things
She wedged the book between two boxes.
He wedged the door open with a chair.
The truck was wedged under the bridge.
nounsingularfigurative
Something that causes or deepens a division between people.
Grammar: Often used in drive a wedge between people.
Patterns
- drive a wedge between people
The argument drove a wedge between the two friends.
Money became a wedge between the brothers.
The new rule created a wedge in the team.
Word forms
| plural | wedges |
|---|---|
| third person singular | wedges |
| past tense | wedged |
| past participle | wedged |
| -ing form | wedging |
Common combinations
- drive a wedge between
- Rumors drove a wedge between the neighbors.
- a wedge of lemon
- Serve the fish with a wedge of lemon.
- wedge a door open
- She wedged the door open with a brick.
- wedge into
- He wedged himself into the corner.
- wedge heel
- She wore shoes with a wedge heel.
- wedge issue
- Taxes became a wedge issue in the election.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chock
- Chock is a block used to stop a wheel moving, while wedge is wider in use.
- slice
- Slice is a flat cut, while wedge has a triangular shape.
- jam
- Jam as a verb suggests forcing something in roughly, while wedge suggests a snug fit.
- cram
- Cram implies stuffing many things in, whereas wedge usually concerns one item held tightly.
Word family
- wedged adjective
- stuck tightly in a space
- wedgie noun
- informal word for a prank or clothing pulled tight
- wedge-shaped adjective
- thick at one end and thin at the other
Commonly confused: wedge or edge?
wedge vs edge
An edge is a boundary or sharp side, while a wedge is a whole tapered piece.
Practice
Jo used a folded newspaper to ___ the door open.
Choose one answer.
Wedge means to fix something tightly, so it fits holding a door. The other words look similar but have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wedge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.