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View synonyms for twine

twine

1

[ twahyn ]

noun

  1. a strong thread or string composed of two or more strands twisted together.
  2. an act of twining, twisting, or interweaving.
  3. a coiled or twisted object or part; convolution.
  4. a twist or turn in anything.
  5. a knot or tangle.


verb (used with object)

, twined, twin·ing.
  1. to twist together; interwind; interweave.
  2. to form by or as by twisting together:

    to twine a wreath.

  3. to twist (one strand, thread, or the like) with another; interlace.
  4. to insert with a twisting or winding motion (usually followed by in or into ):

    He twined his fingers in his hair.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.
  1. to wind about something; twist itself in spirals (usually followed by about, around, etc.):

    Strangling vines twined about the tree.

  2. to wind in a sinuous or meandering course.

twine

2

[ twahyn ]

verb (used with or without object)

, Scot.
, twined, twin·ing.
  1. to separate; part.

twine

/ twaɪn /

noun

  1. string made by twisting together fibres of hemp, cotton, etc
  2. the act or an instance of twining
  3. something produced or characterized by twining
  4. a twist, coil, or convolution
  5. a knot, tangle, or snarl
“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

verb

  1. tr to twist together; interweave

    she twined the wicker to make a basket

  2. tr to form by or as if by twining

    to twine a garland

  3. whenintr, often foll by around to wind or cause to wind, esp in spirals

    the creeper twines around the tree

“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈtwiner, noun
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Other Words From

  • twinea·ble adjective
  • twiner noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of twine1

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun twin(e), twinne, , Old English twīn literally, “a double or twisted thread”; cognate with Dutch twijn, Old Norse tvinni “thread, twine”; akin to German Zwirn; twi-

Origin of twine2

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English twinen, variant of earlier twinnen, derivative of twin twin 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of twine1

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

The skeleton of the full-term child was discovered with twine around its neck at a house in Fore Bondgate, Bishop Auckland, last month.

From BBC

For example: “Cast rubber, with ficus tree surface residues on canvas; glass; twine; and wooden support.”

My father had had the foresight to prepare a box of underwear tied with twine for each of us.

Mom held up my name badge, which was a cross section of a tree on a necklace of twine.

The collar buttons, the birds’ bones, the ball of twine.

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