writhe

American  

[rahyth] / raɪð /

verb (used without object)

• writhes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• writhed,
  past participle,  past
• writhing
  present participle

1. to twist the body about or squirm, as in pain, violent effort, uncontrolled passion, etc.

   Synonyms:

   wriggle, contort, flail, thresh

2. to shrink mentally, as in acute discomfort.

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verb (used with object)

• writhes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• writhed,
  past participle,  past
• writhing
  present participle

1. to twist or bend out of shape or position; distort; contort.

2. to twist (oneself, the body, etc.) about, as in pain.

noun

1. a writhing movement; a twisting of the body, as in pain.

writhe British  

/ raɪð /

verb

1. to twist or squirm in or as if in pain

2. (intr) to move with such motions

3. (intr) to suffer acutely from embarrassment, revulsion, etc

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noun

1. the act or an instance of writhing

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• writher
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• writhing
  present
• writhed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• writhe
  simple
• writhes
  simple
• have writhed
  perfect
• has writhed
  perfect
• am writhing
  progressive
• are writhing
  progressive
• is writhing
  progressive
• have been writhing
  perfect progressive
• has been writhing
  perfect progressive

Past

• writhed
  simple
• had writhed
  perfect
• was writhing
  progressive
• were writhing
  progressive
• had been writhing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will writhe
  simple
• will have writhed
  perfect
• will be writhing
  progressive
• will have been writhing
  perfect progressive

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

writhe writhes writhed writhing

“Oh no. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no,” Peyton Manning said as he watched Dart writhe on the ground while holding his knee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

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

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

Smith began to shake and writhe violently, in thrashing spasms and seizure-like movements, at about 7:58 p.m.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2024

Just thinking about it leaves me so agitated I toss and writhe until Walter tells me to knock it off because I’m keeping him up.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

“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

Mr. Nichols moans and writhes on the ground.

From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2023

He writhes on the ground before being slumped up against a car, unable to properly sit up himself.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2023

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

His fevers were so bad that he insisted on sleeping in the rain, and he writhed in pain "like he'd been thrown in hot oil", says his mother, Sughra.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

"It's all of ours first day," said a curator, re-assembling the artwork as it writhed.

From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026

He writhed in pain for most of a timeout before staying in the game to make a pair of free throws.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2024

“I knew you’d win the moment I met you,” he whispered, and her heart writhed as she understood what lay before them.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

Late last month, an Indonesia-based wildlife foundation shared footage showing an orangutan writhing on the ground on a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan, one of Indonesia's hardest-hit provinces.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

While fishing a canal, I spot an otter as it emerges from the water and climbs onto the opposite bank, clutching a writhing iguana in its paws and then diving back in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Across the globe, Florence is wrenching Freddie from writhing on the floor to buck him up for the imminent match.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

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

I struggled against the weight of their bodies, until it was no longer hands that held me, but wings of blood-gummed feathers studded with a thousand eyes and writhing tongues.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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