deform

verb

de·​form di-ˈfȯrm How to pronounce deform (audio)
dē-
deformed; deforming; deforms

transitive verb

1
: to spoil the form of
2
a
: to spoil the looks of : disfigure
a face deformed by bitterness
b
: to mar the character of
a marriage deformed by jealousy
3
: to alter the shape of by stress

intransitive verb

: to become misshapen or changed in shape
deformable adjective
Choose the Right Synonym for deform

deform, distort, contort, warp means to mar or spoil by or as if by twisting.

deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or accident of growth.

a face deformed by hatred

distort and contort both imply a wrenching from the natural or normal, but contort suggests a more involved twisting and a more grotesque and painful result.

the odd camera angle distorts the figure
disease had contorted her body

warp indicates an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane.

warped floorboards

Examples of deform in a Sentence

The disease eventually deforms the bones. The disease eventually causes the bones to deform.
Recent Examples on the Web The intrusion of smartphones and social media are not the only changes that have deformed childhood. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 Trump’s hands look deformed, and the person on the far left is missing a ring finger. Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 In strictly physical terms, no article of clothing does more to articulate and augment the line of our bodies — to beautify us or deform us — than pants. Jonah Weiner, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Swaths of the ground also began to deform, a telltale sign that magma was building underground. Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2024 If a wheel is deformed, another machine in the shop can grind it true. David Waldstein, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Already, the heat has melted or deformed the landfill’s gas collection system, which consists mostly of polyvinyl chloride well casings. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2023 Our specialist pointed out how the cars deformed predictably, absorbing the impact energy and protecting the passenger safety cell. Alex Kalogiannis, Ars Technica, 6 Nov. 2023 Even better, these mirrors can be quite thin, and can deform their shape on demand to overcome the blurring induced by Earth’s atmosphere. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 23 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deform.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French desfurmer, from Latin deformare, from de- + formare to form, from forma form

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of deform was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near deform

Cite this Entry

“Deform.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deform. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deform

verb
de·​form di-ˈfȯ(ə)rm How to pronounce deform (audio)
ˈdē-
: to make or become misshapen or changed in shape
deformation
ˌdē-ˌfȯr-ˈmā-shən
ˌdef-ər-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on deform

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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