contort
Americanverb (used with object)
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contorts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contorted,
past participle, past
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contorting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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contorts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contorted,
past participle, past
-
contorting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contortsimple
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contortssimple
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have contortedperfect
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has contortedperfect
-
am contortingprogressive
-
are contortingprogressive
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is contortingprogressive
-
have been contortingperfect progressive
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has been contortingperfect progressive
Past
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contortedsimple
-
had contortedperfect
-
was contortingprogressive
-
were contortingprogressive
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had been contortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contort
1555–65; < Latin contortus twisted together, past participle of contorquēre. See con-, tort
Explanation
To contort something is to bend or twist it out of its original shape. Faces are often said to contort with one particular emotion or another. In general contort refers to something that is fairly adaptable and can return to its previous shape. A face, after it has contorted with rage, for example, will return to its normal expression (unless you've done something really bad.). If you bend or twist your sister's doll, you "break it" rather than "contort it."
Vocabulary lists containing contort
Of Mice and Men
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Twists and Turns: Tor
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A Long Way Gone
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
You don’t need to contort yourself to fit into someone else’s life, especially if that life doesn’t align with who you are or what you value.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Mr. Ali’s attempt to contort it to reflect the controversy over immigration policy is ham-handed and confused.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
With a swarm of dancers all wearing the same gray uniform, they contort their bodies around her, creating a collective spectacle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2025
This braced leg then acted as a pivot for the rest of his body to contort over with his bowling arm up high in his unique 'beyond the perpendicular' style.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2024
I saw a grim smile contort Mr. Rochester’s lips, and he muttered—
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
“So, this month I had 12 medicinals, 7 bleedings, and 18 enemas,” he concludes, and then his face contorts in horror and confusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
He also voices his fear that Harvard perverts and contorts young minds.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
As Justice Sonia Sotomayor explained in dissent, this reasoning contorts the English language beyond recognition.
From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026
An actor differs: “One contorts oneself thousands of times, but dies only once … It’s simply not worth it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025
His face contorts to an unflattering mix of frustration and anger.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
But outrage soon spread online, with screen-grabs and an AI video that contorted Thomas’s face into a grin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Davidson would have to be carried by her teammates and coaches to the bench, where her face contorted in pain as trainers examined her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Acquiring the semiautonomous Danish territory would further elevate his claims to greatness and the status of legend in his own contorted reality.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
It has contorted statutory language to stop immigrants from obtaining effective relief against wrongful detention and deportation.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2025
Peering around Hugo as he contorted to pass through the doorway, Kendra glimpsed that they were not alone.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Even passing details of a beanbag in a frat-house game of cornhole—“its lumpiness shifting and contorting in flight”—are imbued with charming affection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Yan jumped up — way up — into the air, contorting his legs into somewhat of a split.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
In recent years, women have posted videos of their faces contorting in pain during an IUD removal or insertion to demonstrate how painful they are.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2024
Unbeknownst to the congressman, the recent kindergarten graduate ate up the C-SPAN camera, smiling, contorting, and making faces behind his dad’s back.
From Slate ● Jun. 7, 2024
“Delicious,” Rio answered, contorting his body so no gravy dripped on his shirt.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
