[wedge] n [ME wegge, fr. OE wecg; akin to OHG wecki wedge, Lith vagis] (bef. 12c) 1: a piece of a substance (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 (as a policy) causing a breach or separation b: something used to initiate an action or development
3: something wedge-shaped: 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 bro ad low-angled face for maximum loft
[2]wedge vb wedged ; wedg.ing vt (15c) 1: to fasten or tighten by driving in a wedge
2. a: to force or press (something) into a narrow space: cram b: to force (one's way) into or through "wedged his way into the crowd"
3: to separate or force apart with or as if with a wedge ~ vi: to become wedged