warp

American  

[wawrp] / wɔrp /

verb (used with object)

warps, present (3rd person singular) warped, past participle, past warping present participle

1. to bend or twist out of shape, especially from a straight or flat form, as timbers or flooring.

   Synonyms:

   distort, contort, turn

   Antonyms:

   straighten

2. to bend or turn from the natural or true direction or course.

   Synonyms:

   deviate, swerve

3. to distort or cause to distort from the truth, fact, true meaning, etc.; bias; incline.

   Prejudice warps the mind.

4. Aeronautics. to curve or bend (a wing or other airfoil) at the end or ends to promote equilibrium or to secure lateral control.

5. Nautical. to move (a vessel) into a desired place or position by hauling on a rope that has been fastened to something fixed, as a buoy or anchor.

6. Agriculture. to fertilize (land) by inundation with water that deposits alluvial matter.

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verb (used without object)

warps, present (3rd person singular) warped, past participle, past warping present participle

1. to become bent or twisted out of shape, especially out of a straight or flat form.

   The wood has warped in drying.

   Antonyms:

   straighten

2. to be or become biased; hold or change an opinion due to prejudice, external influence, or the like.

3. Nautical.

   1. to warp a ship or boat into position.

   2. (of a ship or boat) to move by being warped.

4. (of a stratum in the earth's crust) to bend slightly, to a degree that no fold or fault results.

noun

1. a bend, twist, or variation from a straight or flat form in something, as in wood that has dried unevenly.

2. a mental twist, bias, or quirk, or a biased or twisted attitude or judgment.

3. the set of yarns placed lengthwise in the loom, crossed by and interlaced with the weft, and forming the lengthwise threads in a woven fabric.

4. time warp.

5. a situation, environment, etc., that seems characteristic of another era, especially in being out of touch with contemporary life or attitudes, etc.

6. Also called spring line.  Also called spring.  Nautical. a rope for warping or hauling a ship or boat along or into position.

7. alluvial matter deposited by water, especially water let in to inundate low land so as to enrich it.

warp British  

/ wɔːp /

verb

1. to twist or cause to twist out of shape, as from heat, damp, etc

2. to turn or cause to turn from a true, correct, or proper course

3. to pervert or be perverted

4. (tr) to prepare (yarn) as a warp

5. nautical to move (a vessel) by hauling on a rope fixed to a stationary object ashore or (of a vessel) to be moved thus

6. (tr) (formerly) to curve or twist (an aircraft wing) in order to assist control in flight

7. (tr) to flood (land) with water from which alluvial matter is deposited

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noun

1. the state or condition of being twisted out of shape

2. a twist, distortion, or bias

3. a mental or moral deviation

4. the yarns arranged lengthways on a loom, forming the threads through which the weft yarns are woven

5. the heavy threads used to reinforce the rubber in the casing of a pneumatic tyre

6. nautical a rope used for warping a vessel

7. alluvial sediment deposited by water

warp Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing warp

• time warp

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• warpage
  noun
• warper
  noun
• unwarping
  adjective
• warped
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• warping
  present
• warped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• warp
  simple
• warps
  simple
• have warped
  perfect
• has warped
  perfect
• am warping
  progressive
• are warping
  progressive
• is warping
  progressive
• have been warping
  perfect progressive
• has been warping
  perfect progressive

Past

• warped
  simple
• had warped
  perfect
• was warping
  progressive
• were warping
  progressive
• had been warping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will warp
  simple
• will have warped
  perfect
• will be warping
  progressive
• will have been warping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of warp

First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English werpen, Old English weorpan to throw; cognate with German werfen, Old Norse verpa, Gothic wairpan; (noun) Middle English warpe, Old English wearp; cognate with German Warf, Old Norse varp

Explanation

To warp is to bend, twist, or otherwise become misshapen. Wooden furniture left outside in the rain will often warp from the moisture. Getting wet makes some things warp, while plastic has a tendency to warp in the hot sun. Sometimes people use the word colloquially to mean "have a bad or distorting influence on," as when a politician insists that video games warp kids' minds. In weaving, the warp is all of the threads running one direction — the ones that are woven over and under the warp are called the weft.

Example Sentences

Last fall, Netflix also debuted its first slate of games for TV, including Tetris Time Warp and Pictionary: Game Night.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Perna, who helped lead Operation Warp Speed to develop the Covid-19 vaccine, said he advised Almonty Industries but doesn’t get involved in deals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

He said the tactic was “the equivalent of Operation Warp Speed” in the COVID-19 vaccine era.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 30, 2025

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he played a major role in Operation Warp Speed, the government effort to fund rapid development and manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines.

From Barron's • Oct. 7, 2025

“Warp and woof, warp and woof. Shoot the shuttle back and forth. Warp and woof, warp and woof. Lock it, roll it, start again.”

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• corrupt
• pervert