contort

[ kuh n-tawrt ]
/ kənˈtɔrt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR contort ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to twist, bend, or draw out of shape; distort.

verb (used without object)

to become twisted, distorted, or strained: His face contorted into a grotesque sneer.

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Origin of contort

1555–65; < Latin contortus twisted together, past participle of contorquēre. See con-, tort

Words nearby contort

continuously variable transmission, continuum, continuum hypothesis, conto, contoid, contort, contorted, contortion, contortionist, contortive, contour
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to contort

writhe, deform, convolute, torture, curve, warp, twist, wrench, knot, wind, bend, gnarl, misshape

Example sentences from the Web for contort

British Dictionary definitions for contort

contort
/ (kənˈtɔːt) /

verb

to twist or bend severely out of place or shape, esp in a strained manner

Derived forms of contort

contortive, adjective

Word Origin for contort

C15: from Latin contortus intricate, obscure, from contorquēre to whirl around, from torquēre to twist, wrench
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012