Wedge

name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·1 syllable ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: One of the simple machines; a piece of material, such as metal or wood, thick at one edge and tapered to a thin edge at the other for insertion in a narrow crevice, used for splitting, tightening, securing, or levering.
  • Grammar: wedge is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: wedge shape, arrowhead, articulate, batten.
  • Usage evidence: The screw, the lever, the wedge, the pulley, etc. are called simple machines.

How to use "wedge"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wedge" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wedge" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wedge" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wedge" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "wedge" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "wedge shape" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "wedge", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    One of the simple machines; a piece of material, such as metal or wood, thick at one edge and tapered to a thin edge at the other for insertion in a narrow crevice, used for splitting, tightening, securing, or levering. countable, uncountable

    "Stick a wedge under the door, will you? It keeps blowing shut."

  2. 2
    The person whose name stands lowest on the list of the classical tripos. UK

    "The last man is called the Wedge, corresponding to the Spoon in Mathematics."

  3. 3
    a block of wood used to prevent the sliding or rolling of a heavy object wordnet
  4. 4
    A piece (of food, metal, wood etc.) having this shape. countable, uncountable

    "Can you cut me a wedge of cheese?"

  5. 5
    something solid that is usable as an inclined plane (shaped like a V) that can be pushed between two things to separate them wordnet
Show 24 more definitions
  1. 6
    Something that creates a division, gap or distance between things. countable, figuratively, uncountable

    "It is one of the ironies of capital cities that each acts as a symbol of its nation, and yet few are even remotely representative of it. London has always set itself apart from the rest of Britain — but political, economic and social trends are conspiring to drive that wedge deeper."

  2. 7
    (golf) an iron with considerable loft and a broad sole wordnet
  3. 8
    A five-sided polyhedron with a rectangular base, two rectangular or trapezoidal sides meeting in an edge, and two triangular ends. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    a heel that is an extension of the sole of the shoe wordnet
  5. 10
    A voussoir, one of the wedge-shaped blocks forming an arch or vault. countable, uncountable
  6. 11
    a diacritical mark (an inverted circumflex) placed above certain letters (such as the letter c) to indicate pronunciation wordnet
  7. 12
    A flank of cavalry acting to split some portion of an opposing army, charging in an inverted V formation. archaic, countable, uncountable
  8. 13
    a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States wordnet
  9. 14
    A group of geese, swans, or other birds when they are in flight in a V formation. collective, countable, uncountable
  10. 15
    any shape that is triangular in cross section wordnet
  11. 16
    A type of iron club used for short, high trajectories. countable, uncountable
  12. 17
    One of a pair of wedge-heeled shoes. countable, uncountable

    "She was wearing wedges, and I have a horrible suspicion they were her mum's wedges left over from the last century."

  13. 18
    An ingot. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "Open the Males, yet guard the treaſure ſure. Lay out our golden wedges to the view, That their reflexions may amaze the Perſeans."

  14. 19
    Silver or items made of silver collectively. broadly, obsolete, slang, uncountable
  15. 20
    A quantity of money. British, broadly, colloquial, countable, uncountable

    "He's got some decent wedge."

  16. 21
    A sandwich made on a long, cylindrical roll. US, countable, regional, uncountable

    "I ordered a chicken parm wedge from the deli."

  17. 22
    One of the basic elements that make up cuneiform writing, a single triangular impression made with the corner of a reed stylus. countable, uncountable
  18. 23
    Any symbol shaped like a V in some given orientation.; A háček. US, countable, uncountable

    "The wedge is used in Czech and is illustrated by the Czech name for the diacritic, haček."

  19. 24
    Any symbol shaped like a V in some given orientation.; The IPA character ʌ, which denotes an open-mid back unrounded vowel. countable, uncountable

    "Turned V is referred to as “Wedge” by some phoneticians, but this seems inadvisable to us, because the haček accent (ˇ) is also called that in names like Wedge C for (č)."

  20. 25
    Any symbol shaped like a V in some given orientation.; The symbol ∧, denoting a meet (infimum) operation or logical conjunction. countable, uncountable
  21. 26
    Any symbol shaped like a V in some given orientation.; A hairpin, an elongated horizontal V-shaped sign indicating a crescendo or decrescendo. countable, uncountable
  22. 27
    A barometric ridge; an elongated region of high atmospheric pressure between two low-pressure areas. countable, uncountable
  23. 28
    A wedge tornado. countable, uncountable
  24. 29
    A market trend characterized by a contracting range in prices coupled with an upward trend in prices (a rising wedge) or a downward trend in prices (a falling wedge). countable, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To support or secure using a wedge. transitive

    "I wedged open the window with a screwdriver."

  2. 2
    squeeze like a wedge into a tight space wordnet
  3. 3
    To force into a narrow gap. ambitransitive

    "He had wedged the package between the wall and the back of the sofa."

  4. 4
    put, fix, force, or implant wordnet
  5. 5
    To pack (people or animals) together tightly into a mass. transitive
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    To work wet clay by cutting or kneading for the purpose of homogenizing the mass and expelling air bubbles. transitive
  2. 7
    Of a computer program or system: to get stuck in an unresponsive state. informal, intransitive

    "My Linux kernel wedged after I installed the latest update."

  3. 8
    To cleave with a wedge. transitive
  4. 9
    To force or drive with a wedge. transitive
  5. 10
    To shape into a wedge. transitive
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
wedge shapearrowheadarticulatebattenbatten downbed

Example

"The screw, the lever, the wedge, the pulley, etc. are called simple machines."

Common questions

What does "wedge" mean?

One of the simple machines; a piece of material, such as metal or wood, thick at one edge and tapered to a thin edge at the other for insertion in a narrow crevice, used for splitting, tightening, securing, or levering.

What is a synonym for "wedge"?

Common synonyms include: wedge shape, arrowhead, articulate, batten, batten down, bed.

How do you use "wedge" in a sentence?

The screw, the lever, the wedge, the pulley, etc. are called simple machines.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English wegge (“wedge”), from Old English weċġ (“wedge”), from Proto-West Germanic *wagi, from Proto-Germanic *wagjaz.

Etymology 2

From Wedgewood, surname of the person who occupied this position on the first list of 1828.

More for "wedge"

Synonyms

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