deform
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
deforms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deformed,
past participle, past
-
deforming
present participle
-
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)
-
deforms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deformed,
past participle, past
-
deforming
present participle
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:
Because it can respond differently depending on the speed of an impact, it could absorb energy or deform in a controlled way during a collision, helping reduce the risk of injury.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
Defensive wars don’t merely protect states, they also deform them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
"The first thing we did was to deform a piece of metal," Freitas explains.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2025
"If we permanently deform a tyre, it doesn't roll efficiently, and we have issues with power loss," says Dr Padula.
From BBC ● May 12, 2025
He felt naked, transparent; he felt that this white man, having helped to put him down, having helped to deform him, held him up now to look at him and be amused.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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 zinc oxide material was chosen for its piezoelectric properties, which means that when it waves, bends, or deforms under motion, it generates electric potential.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2023
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
If unsuited to this need, it irritates and deforms character, as a plaster cast compresses a limb encased in it.
From The Cost of Shelter by Ellen H. Richards
"A planet caught in resonance finds its orbit deformed to higher and higher eccentricities, precessing faster and faster while staying in tune with the orbit of the binary, which is shrinking," Touma said.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 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
Each time Pac-Man died on this final maze, the nine hidden dots reappeared on the deformed right half of the screen.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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
"It got to the point where the cysts started growing under my skin and deforming the shape of my face, so I was put through to a dermatologist," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2024
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
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.
