writhe
Americanverb (used without object)
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writhes,
present (3rd person singular)
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writhed,
past participle, past
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writhing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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writhes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
writhed,
past participle, past
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writhing
present participle
noun
verb
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to twist or squirm in or as if in pain
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(intr) to move with such motions
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(intr) to suffer acutely from embarrassment, revulsion, etc
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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writhesimple
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writhessimple
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have writhedperfect
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has writhedperfect
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am writhingprogressive
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are writhingprogressive
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is writhingprogressive
-
have been writhingperfect progressive
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has been writhingperfect progressive
Past
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writhedsimple
-
had writhedperfect
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was writhingprogressive
-
were writhingprogressive
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had been writhingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of writhe
First recorded before 900; Middle English writhen (verb), Old English wrīthan “to twist, wind”; cognate with Old Norse rītha “to knit, twist”; akin to wreath, wry
Explanation
To writhe is to squirm and twist. Often you'll see the phrase "to writhe in agony." Writhe when you've just ingested some stomach-wrenching poison, or perhaps in response to red ant stings. Writhe stems from the Old English, meaning "to twist or bend." It's not a coincidence that a Christmas wreath is greenery twisted and bent into a circle. A person can writhe in embarrassment but it's usually reserved for times when pain or discomfort cause you to twist and bend over and squirm because your body is in such distress.
Vocabulary lists containing writhe
List 8
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Inside Out & Back Again
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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:
Instead, they take turns to silently perform a series of moves and poses that look, to the untrained eye, as if they are playing charades or, as they writhe on the ground, breakdancing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
But if you’ve put decades into watching this band, you deserve to see what this incarnation can wrench and writhe into.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
When athletes tear ACLs in other sports, crowds are used to watching them writhe on the ground in agony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
The Colombian star put on a spectacular show that saw her dance with knives, writhe in a fake cave and play a fiery guitar solo during Objection Tango.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2023
Little plumes of smoke, thick as worms, began to writhe in the air.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
“The Gilded Age” embarks on its third season as America writhes in what many believe to be its death throes.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2025
Through a hole in the circular set, an elevator rises with various set pieces, and most notably, the hospital bed on which Prior writhes in agony, and where he’s nursed by Justin Weaks’s marvelous Belize.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 2, 2023
He writhes on the ground before being slumped up against a car, unable to properly sit up himself.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2023
Authorities are not surprised that more bodies are seeing the light of day as Lake Mead writhes in a prolonged drought gripping the West.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2022
She sits long into the night although she is in pain and often writhes.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
It came, it saw, it occasionally flopped and writhed on the grass, but it truly conquered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
"It's all of ours first day," said a curator, re-assembling the artwork as it writhed.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
Piazza writhed on the ground with Kamara looking on.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
Devastated and in pain as she writhed on the track, she refused medical assistance, instead limping down the home straight and forcing herself over the finish line.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2023
Herbie writhed and tossed in his sleep; he began to duck—asleep or awake—at the slightest noise.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Chloe O. Davis devised writhing choreography for the six dancers who supplied some movement, in contrast to the mostly static chorus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
But people I talk to almost all complain about the flopping: Too many players fall to the turf writhing in fake pain to draw a yellow card after the slightest graze by an opponent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
They fall to the ground after barely being touched, writhing in fake pain and yelling at the ref to call a foul.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
The ghost of Gaga past re-emerges for Perfect Celebrity, writhing with camp energy in a shallow grave as she sings about the pressure and torture of stardom.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025
“Not at the moment,” said Maddie, blushing and writhing with embarrassment.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
