Adjacent Words

Contort definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONTORT, v.t. [L.] TO twist together; to writhe.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: twist and press out of shape [syn: contort, deform, distort, wring]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English, from Latin contortus, past participle of contorqu?re, from com- + torqu?re to twist — more at torture Date: 15th century transitive verb to twist in a violent manner <features contorted with fury> intransitive verb to twist into or as if into a strained shape or expression Synonyms: see deform • contortion noun • contortive adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. twist or force out of normal shape. Etymology: L contorquere contort- (as COM-, torquere twist)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contort Con*tort", v. t. [L. contortus, p. p. of contorquere to twist; con- + torquere to twist. See Torture.] To twist, or twist together; to turn awry; to bend; to distort; to wrest. The vertebral arteries are variously contorted. --Ray. Kant contorted the term category from the proper meaning of attributed. --Sir W. Hamilton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(contorts, contorting, contorted) If someone's face or body contorts or is contorted, it moves into an unnatural and unattractive shape or position. His face contorts as he screams out the lyrics... The gentlest of her caresses would contort his already tense body... Brenner was breathing hard, his face contorted with pain. VERB: V, V n, V-ed

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Twist, writhe, distort.

Moby Thesaurus

bend, buckle, corkscrew, crinkle, crook, crumple, curve, distort, garble, get one wrong, get wrong, gloss, gnarl, intort, knot, meander, misapply, misapprehend, miscite, misconceive, misconstrue, misdeem, misexplain, misexplicate, misexpound, misinterpret, misjudge, misquote, misread, misrender, misshape, mistake, mistranslate, misunderstand, pervert, scallop, screw, serpentine, slink, snake, spring, squeeze, strain the sense, swirl, torture, turn, turn awry, twine, twirl, twist, twist and turn, twist the words, warp, whirl, whorl, wind, worm, wrench, wrest, wring, writhe