twine

[ twahyn ]

/ twaɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR twine ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a strong thread or string composed of two or more strands twisted together.

an act of twining, twisting, or interweaving.

a coiled or twisted object or part; convolution.

a twist or turn in anything.

a knot or tangle.

verb (used with object), twined, twin·ing.

to twist together; interwind; interweave.

to form by or as by twisting together: to twine a wreath.

to twist (one strand, thread, or the like) with another; interlace.

to insert with a twisting or winding motion (usually followed by in or into): He twined his fingers in his hair.

to clasp or enfold (something) around something else; place by or as if by winding (usually followed by about, around, etc.): She twined her arms about the sculpture and carried it away.

to cause (a person, object, etc.) to be encircled with something else; wreathe; wrap: They twined the arch with flowers.

verb (used without object), twined, twin·ing.

to wind about something; twist itself in spirals (usually followed by about, around, etc.): Strangling vines twined about the tree.

to wind in a sinuous or meandering course.

Nearby words

twin-size, twin-tub, twin-twin transfusion, twinberry, twinborn, twine, twinflower, twinge, twining, twinjet, twink

Origin of twine

before 900; Middle English twine (noun), twinen (v.), Old English twīn (noun) literally, a double or twisted thread; cognate with Dutch twijn; akin to German Zwirn, Old Norse tvinni thread, twine; see twi-

Related forms

twine·a·ble, adjectivetwin·er, noun

Can be confused

twain twin twine

Definition for twine (2 of 2)

twine

[ twahyn ]

/ twaɪn /

verb (used with or without object), twined, twin·ing. Scot.

to separate; part.

Also twin.

Origin of twine

1175–1225; late Middle English twinen, variant of earlier twinnen, derivative of twin twin¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for twine

Attaching food with skewers, toothpicks, fishing line, and twine.
Epic Meal Empire’s Meat Monstrosities: From the Bacon Spider to the Cinnabattleship|Harley Morenstein|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Twine dispenser: This is sort of a medium-advanced chef gift.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She had a small cardboard sign of her own hanging by some twine from her neck.
A Tale of Two Trees|Michael Daly|November 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Along towards morning Leon gave the string a vicious tug but no bell sounded and the twine seemed not to be attached to anything.
Fighting in France|Ross Kay

No bit of twine ever made to be handled from a seine-boat was big enough to hold that school of fish when they began to go down.
The Seiners|James B. (James Brendan) Connolly
It was dusty, and it seemed to me it was wrapped with a twine or something, tied up with a twine.
Warren Commission (9 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
They made haste to cut the twine, and behold, a beautiful rug!
The Spectacle Man|Mary F. Leonard
I borrowed it from Mrs. Twine, and it is my suspicion that she scrubs it every night.
The Ancient Law|Ellen Glasgow

British Dictionary definitions for twine

twine

/ (twaɪn) /

noun

string made by twisting together fibres of hemp, cotton, etc

the act or an instance of twining

something produced or characterized by twining

a twist, coil, or convolution

a knot, tangle, or snarl

verb

(tr) to twist together; interweaveshe twined the wicker to make a basket

(tr) to form by or as if by twiningto twine a garland

(when intr, often foll by around) to wind or cause to wind, esp in spiralsthe creeper twines around the tree

Derived Forms

twiner, noun

Word Origin for twine

Old English twīn; related to Old Frisian twīne, Dutch twijn twine, Lithuanian dvynu twins; see twin

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