contort
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
contortsimple
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contortssimple
-
have contortedperfect
-
has contortedperfect
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am contortingprogressive
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are contortingprogressive
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is contortingprogressive
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have been contortingperfect progressive
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has been contortingperfect progressive
Past
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contortedsimple
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had contortedperfect
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was contortingprogressive
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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.
This is a book of endless storytelling, as characters contort themselves to please the regime’s shifting narratives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
So there’s a couple ways he was able to contort his body, flips that he was able to do that only he was able to do.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2024
Vance “weird” is rather effective, and has caused Vance and his party-mates to contort themselves to prove he’s not, in fact, weird.
From Slate • Aug. 8, 2024
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
The closest overhead bins are filled with roller bags, so I contort myself to shove my backpack beneath the seat in front of mine.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
