Adjacent Words

Twist definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TWIST, v.t.
1. To unite by winding one thread, strand or other flexible substance round another; to form by convolution, or winding separate things round each other; as to twist yarn or thread. So we say, to double and twist.
2. To form into a thread from many fine filaments; as, to twist wool or cotton.
3. To contort; to writhe; as, to twist a thing into a serpentine form.
4. To wreathe; to wind; to encircle.
--Pillars of smoke twisted about with wreaths of flame.
5. To form; to weave; as, to twist a story.
6. To unite by intertexture of parts; as, to twist bays with ivy.
7. To unite; to enter by winding; to insinuate; as, avarice twists itself into all human concerns.
8. To pervert; as, to twist a passage in an author.
9. To turn from a straight line.
TWIST, v.i. To be contorted or united by winding round each other. Some strands will twist more easily than others.
TWIST, n. A cord, thread or any thing flexible,formed by winding strands or separate things round each other.
1. A cord; a string; a single cord.
2. A contortion; a writhe.
3. A little roll of tobacco.
4. Manner of twisting.
5. A twig. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an unforeseen development; "events suddenly took an awkward turn" [syn: turn, turn of events, twist]
2: an interpretation of a text or action; "they put an unsympathetic construction on his conduct" [syn: construction, twist]
3: any clever maneuver; "he would stoop to any device to win a point"; "it was a great sales gimmick"; "a cheap promotions gimmick for greedy businessmen" [syn: device, gimmick, twist]
4: the act of rotating rapidly; "he gave the crank a spin"; "it broke off after much twisting" [syn: spin, twirl, twist, twisting, whirl]
5: a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments; "the wrench to his knee occurred as he fell"; "he was sidelined with a hamstring pull" [syn: wrench, twist, pull]
6: a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight [syn: kink, twist, twirl]
7: a circular segment of a curve; "a bend in the road"; "a crook in the path" [syn: bend, crook, twist, turn]
8: a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself [syn: eddy, twist]
9: a jerky pulling movement [syn: twist, wrench]
10: a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair [syn: braid, plait, tress, twist]
11: social dancing in which couples vigorously twist their hips and arms in time to the music; was popular in the 1960s; "they liked to dance the twist"
12: the act of winding or twisting; "he put the key in the old clock and gave it a good wind" [syn: wind, winding, twist]
13: turning or twisting around (in place); "with a quick twist of his head he surveyed the room" [syn: twist, turn] v
1: to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling); "The prisoner writhed in discomfort"; "The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace" [syn: writhe, wrestle, wriggle, worm, squirm, twist]
2: cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form; "bend the rod"; "twist the dough into a braid"; "the strong man could turn an iron bar" [syn: flex, bend, deform, twist, turn] [ant: unbend]
3: turn in the opposite direction; "twist one's head"
4: form into a spiral shape; "The cord is all twisted" [syn: twist, twine, distort] [ant: untwist]
5: form into twists; "Twist the strips of dough"
6: extend in curves and turns; "The road winds around the lake"; "the path twisted through the forest" [syn: wind, twist, curve]
7: do the twist
8: twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates; "wrench a window off its hinges"; "wrench oneself free from somebody's grip"; "a deep sigh was wrenched from his chest" [syn: wrench, twist]
9: practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive; "Don't twist my words" [syn: twist, twist around, pervert, convolute, sophisticate]
10: twist suddenly so as to sprain; "wrench one's ankle"; "The wrestler twisted his shoulder"; "the hikers sprained their ankles when they fell"; "I turned my ankle and couldn't walk for several days" [syn: twist, sprain, wrench, turn, wrick, rick]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, probably from Middle Dutch twisten, from twist twine, discord, quarrel; akin to Old English -twist (in candeltwist candlesnuffers, mæsttwist twin support for a mast), Middle English twisten to be forked, Middle High German zwist quarrel, Old English twi- twi- Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. a. to unite by winding <twisting strands together> b. to make by twisting strands together <twist thread from yarn> c. to mingle by interlacing 2. twine, coil 3. a. to wring or wrench so as to dislocate or distort; especially sprain <twisted my ankle> b. to alter the meaning of ; distort, pervert <twisted the facts> c. contort <twisted his face into a grin> d. to pull off, turn, or break by torsion <twist the nut off the bolt> e. to cause to move with a turning motion <twisted her chair to face the fire> f. to form into a spiral shape g. to cause to take on moral, mental, or emotional deformity <celebrity has twisted their sense of decorum> h. to make (one's way) in a winding or devious manner to a destination or objective intransitive verb 1. to follow a winding course ; snake 2. a. to turn or change shape under torsion b. to assume a spiral shape c. squirm, writhe d. to dance the twist 3. of a ball to rotate while taking a curving path or direction 4. turn 3a <twisted around to see behind him> II. noun Date: 1555 1. something formed by twisting or winding: as a. a thread, yarn, or cord formed by twisting two or more strands together b. a strong tightly twisted sewing silk c. a baked piece of twisted dough d. tobacco leaves twisted into a thick roll e. a strip of citrus peel used to flavor a drink 2. a. an act of twisting ; the state of being twisted b. a dance performed with strenuous gyrations especially of the hips c. the spin given the ball in any of various games d. a spiral turn or curve e. (1) torque or torsional stress applied to a body (as a rod or shaft) (2) torsional strain (3) the angle through which a thing is twisted 3. a. a turning off a straight course b. eccentricity, idiosyncrasy c. a distortion of meaning or sense 4. a. an unexpected turn or development <weird twists of fate — W. L. Shirer> b. a clever device ; trick <questions demanding special twists of thinking — New Yorker> c. a variant approach or method ; gimmick <a kind of twist on the old triangle theme — Dave Fedo> 5. a front or back dive in which the diver twists sideways a half or full turn before entering the water • twisty adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 a tr. change the form of by rotating one end and not the other or the two ends in opposite directions. b intr. undergo such a change; take a twisted position (twisted round in his seat). c tr. wrench or pull out of shape with a twisting action (twisted my ankle). 2 tr. a wind (strands etc.) about each other. b form (a rope etc.) by winding the strands. c (foll. by with, in with) interweave. d form by interweaving or twining. 3 a tr. give a spiral form to (a rod, column, cord, etc.) as by rotating the ends in opposite directions. b intr. take a spiral form. 4 tr. (foll. by off) break off or separate by twisting. 5 tr. distort or misrepresent the meaning of (words). 6 a intr. take a curved course. b tr. make (one's way) in a winding manner. 7 tr. Brit. colloq. cheat (twisted me out of £20). 8 tr. cause (the ball, esp. in billiards) to rotate while following a curved path. 9 tr. (as twisted adj.) (of a person or mind) emotionally unbalanced. 10 intr. dance the twist. --n. 1 the act or an instance of twisting. 2 a a twisted state. b the manner or degree in which a thing is twisted. 3 a thing formed by or as by twisting, esp. a thread or rope etc. made by winding strands together. 4 the point at which a thing twists or bends. 5 usu. derog. a peculiar tendency of mind or character etc. 6 an unexpected development of events, esp. in a story etc. 7 a fine strong silk thread used by tailors etc. 8 a roll of bread, tobacco, etc., in the form of a twist. 9 Brit. a paper packet with screwed-up ends. 10 a curled piece of lemon etc. peel to flavour a drink. 11 a spinning motion given to a ball in cricket etc. to make it take a special curve. 12 a a twisting strain. b the amount of twisting of a rod etc., or the angle showing this. c forward motion combined with rotation about an axis. 13 Brit. a drink made of two ingredients mixed together. 14 Brit. colloq. a swindle. 15 (prec. by the) a dance with a twisting movement of the body, popular in the 1960s. Phrases and idioms: round the twist Brit. sl. crazy. twist a person's arm colloq. apply coercion, esp. by moral pressure. twist round one's finger see FINGER. Derivatives: twistable adj. twisty adj. (twistier, twistiest). Etymology: ME, rel. to TWIN, TWINE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Twist Twist, n. 1. Act of imparting a turning or twisting motion, as to a pitched ball; also, the motion thus imparted; as, the twist of a billiard ball. 2. A strong individual tendency, or bent; a marked inclination; a bias; -- often implying a peculiar or unusual tendency; as, a twist toward fanaticism.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Twist Twist, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Twisted; p. pr. & vb. n. Twisting.] [OE. twisten, AS. twist a rope, as made of two (twisted) strands, fr. twi- two; akin to D. twist a quarrel, dissension, G. zwist, Dan. & Sw. tvist, Icel. twistr the deuce in cards, tvistr distressed. See Twice, Two.] 1. To contort; to writhe; to complicate; to crook spirally; to convolve. Twist it into a serpentine form. --Pope. 2. Hence, to turn from the true form or meaning; to pervert; as, to twist a passage cited from an author. 3. To distort, as a solid body, by turning one part relatively to another about an axis passing through both; to subject to torsion; as, to twist a shaft. 4. To wreathe; to wind; to encircle; to unite by intertexture of parts. ``Longing to twist bays with that ivy.'' --Waller. There are pillars of smoke twisted about wreaths of flame. --T. Burnet. 5. To wind into; to insinuate; -- used reflexively; as, avarice twists itself into all human concerns. 6. To unite by winding one thread, strand, or other flexible substance, round another; to form by convolution, or winding separate things round each other; as, to twist yarn or thread. --Shak. 7. Hence, to form as if by winding one part around another; to wreathe; to make up. Was it not to this end That thou began'st to twist so fine a story? --Shak. 8. To form into a thread from many fine filaments; as, to twist wool or cotton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Twist Twist, v. i. 1. To be contorted; to writhe; to be distorted by torsion; to be united by winding round each other; to be or become twisted; as, some strands will twist more easily than others. 2. To follow a helical or spiral course; to be in the form of a helix.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Twist Twist, n. 1. The act of twisting; a contortion; a flexure; a convolution; a bending. Not the least turn or twist in the fibers of any one animal which does not render them more proper for that particular animal's way of life than any other cast or texture. --Addison. 2. The form given in twisting. [He] shrunk at first sight of it; he found fault with the length, the thickness, and the twist. --Arbuthnot. 3. That which is formed by twisting, convoluting, or uniting parts. Specifically: (a) A cord, thread, or anything flexible, formed by winding strands or separate things round each other. (b) A kind of closely twisted, strong sewing silk, used by tailors, saddlers, and the like. (c) A kind of cotton yarn, of several varieties. (d) A roll of twisted dough, baked. (e) A little twisted roll of tobacco. (f) (Weaving) One of the threads of a warp, -- usually more tightly twisted than the filling. (g) (Firearms) A material for gun barrels, consisting of iron and steel twisted and welded together; as, Damascus twist. (h) (Firearms & Ord.) The spiral course of the rifling of a gun barrel or a cannon. (i) A beverage made of brandy and gin. [Slang] 4. [OE.; -- so called as being a two-forked branch. See Twist, v. t.] A twig. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Fairfax. Gain twist, or Gaining twist (Firearms), twist of which the pitch is less, and the inclination greater, at the muzzle than at the breech. Twist drill, a drill the body of which is twisted like that of an auger. See Illust. of Drill. Uniform twist (Firearms), a twist of which the spiral course has an equal pitch throughout.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(twists, twisting, twisted) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you twist something, you turn it to make a spiral shape, for example by turning the two ends of it in opposite directions. Her hands began to twist the handles of the bag she carried... Twist the string carefully around the second stem with the other hand... VERB: V n, V n adv/prep 2. If you twist something, especially a part of your body, or if it twists, it moves into an unusual, uncomfortable, or bent position, for example because of being hit or pushed, or because you are upset. He twisted her arms behind her back and clipped a pair of handcuffs on her wrists... Sophia's face twisted in pain... The body was twisted, its legs at an awkward angle... VERB: V n prep, V, V-ed 3. If you twist part of your body such as your head or your shoulders, you turn that part while keeping the rest of your body still. She twisted her head sideways and looked towards the door... Susan twisted round in her seat until she could see Graham and Sabrina behind her... VERB: V n adv, V adv/prep 4. If you twist a part of your body such as your ankle or wrist, you injure it by turning it too sharply, or in an unusual direction. He fell and twisted his ankle... Rupert Moon is out of today's session with a twisted knee. VERB: V n, V-ed 5. If you twist something, you turn it so that it moves around in a circular direction. She was staring down at her hands, twisting the ring on her finger... Reaching up to a cupboard he takes out a jar and twists the lid off. VERB: V n, V n with adv • Twist is also a noun. The bag is resealed with a simple twist of the valve. N-COUNT: oft N of n 6. If a road or river twists, it has a lot of sudden changes of direction in it. The roads twist round hairpin bends... The lane twists and turns between pleasant but unspectacular cottages. VERB: V prep, V • Twist is also a noun. It allows the train to maintain a constant speed through the twists and turns of existing track. N-COUNT: usu pl 7. If you say that someone has twisted something that you have said, you disapprove of them because they have repeated it in a way that changes its meaning, in order to harm you or benefit themselves. It's a shame the way that the media can twist your words and misrepresent you... = distort VERB: V n [disapproval] 8. A twist in something is an unexpected and significant development. The battle of the sexes also took a new twist... N-COUNT 9. A twist is the shape that something has when it has been twisted. ...bunches of violets in twists of paper... N-COUNT: usu N of n 10. If something happens by a twist of fate, it happens by chance, and it is strange, interesting, or unfortunate in some way. By a curious twist of fate, cricket was also my favourite sport... PHRASE: twist inflects, usu by/in PHR 11. to twist someone's arm: see arm to get your knickers in a twist: see knickers to twist the knife: see knife see also twisted

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Twine, twist together. 2. Writhe, contort, complicate, convolve, crook spirally. 3. Wind, wreathe, encircle. 4. Form, weave, make up. 5. [Used reflexively.] Wind in, insinuate. II. n. Convolution, writhing, contortion, winding, flexure, kink, bending, bight, coil.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A mixture of half tea and half coffee; likewise brandy, beer, and eggs. A good twist; a good appetite. To twist it down apace; to eat heartily.

Moby Thesaurus

a thing for, aberrancy, aberration, action, adulterate, affinity, afflict, agonize, ail, alloy, alter, alteration, anagnorisis, analysis, anamorphism, anamorphosis, angle, angle off, animus, approach, aptitude, aptness, architectonics, architecture, argument, aspect, asymmetry, atmosphere, background, balmy, barmy, batty, bear off, belie, bend, bent, bias, birthmark, bite, blackhead, bleb, blemish, blister, bonkers, bonus, bow, braid, brail, branching off, buckle, bulla, bully, bun, burlesque, burn, cable, camouflage, canker, caricature, cast, catastrophe, cavendish, chafe, change, character, characterization, chaw, cheapen, check, chew, chewing tobacco, chignon, cicatrix, cicatrize, circle, circuitousness, circulate, circumrotate, circumvolute, cirrus, coarsen, coerce, coil, color, coloring, comedo, complication, conatus, conduciveness, configuration, confound, constitution, construal, construction, contaminate, continuity, contort, contortion, contrivance, convulse, cord, corkscrew, corner, corrupt, crack, crank, crater, craze, crazy, crinkle, crook, crookedness, crotchet, crucify, crumple, cuckoo, cud, cue, curl, curlicue, curve, cut, cut plug, daft, debase, declination, decoration, deface, defacement, defect, defile, deflect, deflower, deform, deformation, deformity, degenerate, degrade, delight, denature, denouement, departure, deprave, desecrate, design, despoil, detorsion, detour, devalue, development, deviance, deviancy, deviate, deviation, device, deviousness, diathesis, diffract, diffuse, digression, discursion, disfiguration, disfigure, disfigurement, disguise, disperse, disposition, disproportion, distort, distortion, distress, divagate, divagation, divarication, diverge, divergence, diversion, divert, dogleg, double, dress up, drift, drifting, eagerness, eating tobacco, eccentric, eccentricity, effect, eidolon, embellish, embroider, enlace, entwine, episode, err, errantry, evolute, exaggerate, excruciate, excurse, excursion, excursus, exorbitation, extra, extra added attraction, extra dash, fable, facet, failing, falling action, falsification, falsify, fashion, fault, favoritism, feature, feeling for, fester, fid, figure, filigree, filling, fillip, flaw, flourish, foible, force, forejudgment, form, freckle, fret, frill, fudge, gall, garble, garbling, gestalt, gild, gimmick, give pain, gloss, gloss over, gnarl, gnaw, go adrift, go around, go astray, go round, grain, grate, grind, gripe, guise, gyrate, gyre, hairpin, harrow, helix, hemangioma, hickey, hurt, idiosyncrasy, image, imago, imbalance, impression, incident, inclination, incongruity, inconsistency, indirection, individualism, infect, inflame, inflict pain, influence, insane, interknit, interlace, interpretation, intertie, intertissue, intertwine, intertwist, interweave, intort, involute, irregularity, irritate, jaundice, jaundiced eye, keloid, kidney, kill by inches, kink, knit, knot, lace, lacerate, lagniappe, leaning, lentigo, liability, ligament, ligation, ligature, light, likeness, liking, line, lineaments, local color, look, loom, loop, lopsidedness, lurch, mad, make, makeup, manner, mar, martyr, martyrize, mask, mat, meander, mental set, mettle, milium, mind, mind-set, miscite, miscolor, misconstruction, misconstrue, misinterpret, misinterpretation, misquotation, misquote, misreport, misrepresent, misrepresentation, misstate, misstatement, misteach, mistranslate, mistranslation, misunderstand, misunderstanding, misuse, mold, mole, mood, motif, movement, mythos, nature, navy, navy plug, needle scar, net, nevus, nip, noose, nuts, nutty, oblique, obliquity, oddity, one-sidedness, ornament, overdraw, overstate, padding, pain, parody, partialism, partiality, partisanship, peculiarity, penchant, pererrate, pererration, peripeteia, persuade, perversion, pervert, phase, phasis, pierce, pigtail, pimple, pinch, pirouette, pit, pivot, plait, plan, pleach, plot, pock, pockmark, poison, pollute, port-wine mark, port-wine stain, preconception, predilection, predisposition, preference, prejudgment, prejudice, prejudice against, prejudice the issue, premium, prepossess, prepossession, pressure, prick, probability, proclivity, prolong the agony, proneness, propensity, prostitute, pull, pustule, put to torture, queue, quid, quirk, rack, raddle, ramble, rambling, rankle, rasp, rattail, ravage, ravish, readiness, recognition, reference, refract, regard, respect, revolve, rick, rift, ringlet, rising action, roll, rope, rotate, round, round the bend, rove, rub, scab, scallop, scar, scarify, scatter, scheme, scratch, screw, scroll, sebaceous cyst, secondary plot, seeming, semblance, sensitivity to, serpentine, set, shape, sheer, shift, shifting, shifting course, shifting path, side, simulacrum, skew, slant, slink, slue, snake, soft spot, something extra, spin, spiral, splice, split, sprain, spring, spun yarn, squirm, stab, stamp, sting, story, straggle, strain, strawberry mark, stray, straying, streak, string, stripe, structure, stuffing, sty, style, subject, subplot, superaddition, susceptibility, sway, sweep, swerve, swerving, swing, swinging, swirl, switch, swivel, tack, tail, taint, temper, temperament, tendency, tendon, tendril, thematic development, theme, thong, tissue, titivate, tobacco juice, tone, topic, topknot, torment, torsion, tortuosity, torture, total effect, track, travesty, treatment, trick, trick out, trimming, tropism, turn, turn a pirouette, turn around, turn awry, turn of mind, turn round, turning, tweak, twill, twine, twirl, twist and turn, type, ulcerate, understanding, understate, undetachment, undispassionateness, unsymmetry, variation, varnish, veer, verruca, version, vesicle, view, viewpoint, violate, vitiate, volute, volution, vortex, vulgarize, wale, wamble, wander, wandering, warp, wart, wattle, weakness, weal, weave, web, welt, wen, wheel, whirl, whitehead, whitewash, whorl, wiggle, willingness, wind, wire, wise, worm, wound, wreathe, wrench, wrest, wriggle, wring, wrinkle, writhe, yarn, yaw, zigzag