: a piece of a substance (such as wood or iron) that tapers to a thin edge and is used for splitting wood and rocks, raising heavy bodies, or for tightening by being driven into something
2
a
: something (such as a policy) causing a breach or separation
b
: something used to initiate an action or development
3
: something wedge-shaped: such as
a
: an array of troops or tanks in the form of a wedge
b
: the wedge-shaped stroke in cuneiform characters
c
: a shoe having a heel extending from the back of the shoe to the front of the shank and a tread formed by an extension of the sole
d
: an iron golf club with a broad low-angled face for maximum loft
Noun
He used a wedge to split the firewood.
A wedge held the door open.
The battalion formed a wedge and marched toward the enemy. Verb
She wedged her foot into the crack.
The dog got wedged between the couch and the end table.
I wedged myself into the car's back seat.
She wedged the door open.
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Noun
As if that were not enough, he is credited with inventing the modern sand wedges used by all players today.—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 This little wedge of Chicago spans between West Town and Near North Side, covering Goose Island and the Noble Square neighborhood.—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
Floyd gets wedged in a too-tight passageway and pinned by a rockslide that crushes his foot.—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025 Groceries seep into advertising and design As hype around regular grocery items grows, food has also wedged its way into advertising and luxury designs.—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wedge
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English wegge, from Old English wecg; akin to Old High German wecki wedge, Lithuanian vagis
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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