contort

[ kuhn-tawrt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to twist, bend, or draw out of shape; distort.

verb (used without object)

1. to become twisted, distorted, or strained:

   His face contorted into a grotesque sneer.

contort

/ kənˈtɔːt /

verb

1. to twist or bend severely out of place or shape, esp in a strained manner

Derived Forms

• conˈtortive, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contort¹

1555–65; < Latin contortus twisted together, past participle of contorquēre. See con-, tort

Word History and Origins

Origin of contort¹

C15: from Latin contortus intricate, obscure, from contorquēre to whirl around, from torquēre to twist, wrench

Example Sentences

For more than an hour, I had twisted and contorted myself trying without success to get a grip on that two-inch piece of silicone.

From Salon

“She bounded around with so many positions and backtracked and so desperately contorted ... . She is more consistent now than she was then.”

From Los Angeles Times

Not long ago I came upon a zombie-like scene of contorted people gathered in the northwest corner of the park, their bodies rigid from overdoses of fentanyl or other killer drugs.

From Los Angeles Times

But the moves were spectacular - regularly drawing 'oooohs' from the crowd as they spun around, balanced on their head or one hand, swung through flairs or froze on the spot while contorted.

From BBC

This braced leg then acted as a pivot for the rest of his body to contort over with his bowling arm up high in his unique 'beyond the perpendicular' style.

From BBC

Related Words

• deform
• writhe