writhe

verb

writhed; writhing

transitive verb

1
a
: to twist into coils or folds
b
: to twist so as to distort : wrench
c
: to twist (the body or a bodily part) in pain
2

intransitive verb

1
: to move or proceed with twists and turns
writhed to the music
2
: to twist from or as if from pain or struggling
3
: to suffer keenly
writhe noun

Did you know?

Writhe wound its way to us from the Old English verb wrīthan, meaning “to twist,” and that ancestral meaning lives on in the word’s current uses, most of which have to do with twists of one kind or another. Among the oldest of these uses is the meaning “to twist into coils or folds,” but in modern use writhing is more often about the physical contortions of one suffering from debilitating pain or attempting to remove oneself from a tight grasp (as, say, a snake from a hawk’s talons). The word is also not infrequently applied to the twisting bodies of dancers. The closest relation of writhe in modern English lacks any of the painful connotations often present in writhe: wreath comes from Old English writha, which shares an ancestor with wrīthan.

Examples of writhe in a Sentence

She lay on the floor, writhing in pain. a nest of writhing snakes
Recent Examples on the Web For the next scene, when her character is writhing in agony before dying, director Brian De Palma told her what to do. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 One video showed someone apparently performing chest compressions on a shooting victim as another person, seemingly writhing in pain, lay on the ground nearby. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2024 Rozier fell to the court and immediately grabbed at his right knee, writhing in pain before the Heat’s training staff helped him to the locker room. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2024 Within moments, civilians lay strewn across the ground, some lifeless, others writhing in pain. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024 Lipa opened the Grammys in a new black leather dress, singing an electrifying medley of songs with a crew of dancers writhing on stage scaffolding. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024 The freshman guard groped at her left ankle, writhing back and forth in agony, rolling into the fetal position as a trainer rushed over and sat her up. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 9 Mar. 2024 Vanderbilt fell hard on the court, writhing in pain. Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2024 As the reasoning writhes around, one fact becomes clear. Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'writhe.' 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 Old English wrīthan; akin to Old Norse rītha to twist

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of writhe was before the 12th century

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Dictionary Entries Near writhe

Cite this Entry

“Writhe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/writhe. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

writhe

verb
writhed; writhing
: to twist and turn this way and that
writhe in pain

More from Merriam-Webster on writhe

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