deform
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to mar the natural form or shape of; put out of shape; disfigure.
In cases where the drug was taken during pregnancy, its effects deformed the infants.
- Synonyms:
- misshape
-
to make ugly, ungraceful, or displeasing; mar the beauty of; spoil.
The trees had been completely deformed by the force of the wind.
- Synonyms:
- ruin
-
to change the form of; transform.
-
Geology, Mechanics. to subject to deformation.
The metal was deformed under stress.
verb (used without object)
adjective
verb
-
to make or become misshapen or distorted
-
(tr) to mar the beauty of; disfigure
-
(tr) to subject or be subjected to a stress that causes a change of dimensions
Synonym Usage
See mar.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deformsimple
-
deformssimple
-
have deformedperfect
-
has deformedperfect
-
am deformingprogressive
-
are deformingprogressive
-
is deformingprogressive
-
have been deformingperfect progressive
-
has been deformingperfect progressive
Past
-
deformedsimple
-
had deformedperfect
-
was deformingprogressive
-
were deformingprogressive
-
had been deformingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deform1
1350–1400; Middle English deformen, from Latin dēfōrmāre, equivalent to dē- de- + fōrmāre “to shape, form” ( see form)
Origin of deform2
1350–1400; Middle English defo ( u ) rme < Latin dēformis, equivalent to dē- de- + -formis -form
Explanation
To deform is to force something to have a new shape by pushing or twisting it. While some kids love to shape animals out of clay, others prefer to deform their friends' elephants and puppies. In physics or engineering, to deform something is to change its shape by applying force. You're more likely to come across the word deformed, used either as an adjective or a verb: "My cat's paws are deformed—see, she's got two extra toes on every foot." The source of this word is the verb deform, or "disfigure," which comes from the Latin deformare, "put out of shape."
Vocabulary lists containing deform
Shape Up: Form
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Plate Tectonics - Middle School
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Out of the Dust
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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:
Defensive wars don’t merely protect states, they also deform them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
The tyres need to be able to deform as they go over rocks and then ping back to their original shape.
From BBC ● May 12, 2025
I love this quote by Ntozake Shange: “i cant count the number of times i have viscerally wanted to attack deform n maim the language that i was taught to hate myself in.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2025
At very high exposures, fluoride can also weaken and deform bones.
From Salon ● May 7, 2024
Internal geological processes slowly deform the surfaces of Venus, Mars, Ganymede and Europa, as well as Earth.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
This alloy softens and deforms at relatively low temperatures — around 500 F — well below the intensity of a typical house fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
"The patch deforms in a way very similar to your own skin," Xiao said.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 31, 2024
One type of virus carried by mites results in a bee being born with no abdomen, while another deforms their wings and leaves them too weak to fly.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2023
Peanut butter can be poured into its container and then it deforms, or takes the shape of that container.
From Scientific American ● May 9, 2023
The child that can already speak pretty correctly deforms his speech after the manner of insane persons, being moved by strange caprices, because his understanding is not yet sufficiently developed.
From The Mind of the Child, Part II The Development of the Intellect, International Education Series Edited By William T. Harris, Volume IX. by Preyer, William T.
This extensive reorganization produces a highly deformed nuclear shape.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2026
The medical examiner retrieved a deformed metal projectile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 16, 2025
Sun, however, had a problem: a deformed finger that slowed him down and drew the ire of his overseers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
Further investigation revealed that eight frames, the ribs of the ship's structural skeleton, were deformed and that more steel replacement was required.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2025
It was about a man who lived more than a hundred years ago named John Merrick who was terribly deformed.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
A spokesman for Poland's long-distance rail operator, PKP Intercity, told AFP the heatwave was expected to affect traffic, with overhead power lines sagging and rails deforming.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Vidale said it’s likely the outer core is deforming the shape of the inner core, pushing it a kilometer or two in areas where they rub together with force.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
Low-pressure environments are generally unfavorable for microbes, since these conditions will cause the water in cells to evaporate, deforming their structure.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2024
Moreover, deforming any material requires energy, which thus impedes large deformations.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2024
He saw Jan as though someone had performed an operation upon his eyes, or as though someone had snatched a deforming mask from Jan’s face.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
