1. To twist and to compress something (wet cloth,hair, etc.) in order to force liquid out of it: Catherine's mother asked her to wring the towel out and hang it on the line to dry.
2. To extract something from a person with great difficulty: The lawyer was finally able to wring an answer out of the witness during the trial.
3. To cause a person emotional pain and distress: It was wringing Shirley's heart to see the destruction of the grove of trees that she loved as a child.