: 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
Scattered around the bowl are wedges of avocado, sweet Sungolds, tender medallions of octopus and rings of pickled onion.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Oct. 2026 The sneaker heel category gained steam in the 2000s and early 2010s with designs like the Sergio Rossi for Puma collection and Isabel Marant’s Bekett wedge sneaker.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2026
Verb
This relies on two tweeters wedged between the display glass and the frame, and two woofers under the glass, which vibrate against the screen to generate bass.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
28 Oct. 2026 The keys to the Ford Explorer were wedged between the cup holder and center console.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
27 Oct. 2026 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