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:
Yield strength describes how much stress a material can withstand before it begins to deform permanently.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
Defensive wars don’t merely protect states, they also deform them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
The usual explanation is that surfaces deform slightly under pressure, creating more microscopic contact points that increase resistance.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2026
"Without atom motion you have a hard time having the material be able to deform and return," says Dr Padula.
From BBC ● May 12, 2025
“Or your hand will move and you’ll deform yourself.”
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
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
"Similar to how cephalopods coordinate body shape and skin patterning, the synthetic smart skin can simultaneously control what it looks like and how it deforms, all within a single, soft material," Sun said.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2026
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
We know two deforms," quoth Daisy, solemnly, as Allie closed; "one deform is very nice and good, and the ofer is horrid and scratching.
From Uncle Rutherford's Nieces A Story for Girls by Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews
By the time Coralie Fargeat’s 2024 “The Substance” reaches its gloriously grotesque climax, Demi Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle and Margaret Qualley’s Sue have effectively fused into the spectacularly deformed creature known as Monstro Elisasue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
It exhibits more modest 4p-4h excitations and therefore remains far less deformed.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2026
More than a dozen countries took part in the weeks-long search for the vessel, which was eventually located a year later by a private British marine robotics firm, its hull dented and deformed.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
There was the Picasso of late-19th-century realism; the Picasso of angular, broken-down Cubist shapes; the Picasso of playfully deformed portraits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Jaja stared at it, running his deformed finger over the paint, the finger that had very little feeling.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
"We want to prevent breeders from deforming dogs so much, that they suffer."
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 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
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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.
