1. a device with two rollers used to squeeze water out of wet clothes
2. a difficult or stressful situation that tests someone severely
Usage: informal; usually in phrase ‘put through the wringer’

Examples

• She fed the wet sheets through the old-fashioned wringer.
• The antique washing machine had a manual wringer on top.
• After the accident, the insurance company really put him through the wringer.
• The job interview was tough – they put all the candidates through the wringer.
• My grandmother used a wringer to remove excess water from the laundry.
• The scandal put the politician through the wringer with the media.