contort

verb con·tort \ kən-ˈtȯrt \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: contort in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of contort

contorted; contorting; contorts

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

His face contorted in a grimace of pain.

—

contortion

play \kən-ˈtȯr-shən\ noun

—

contortive

play \kən-ˈtȯr-tiv\ adjective

See contort defined for English-language learners

See contort defined for kids

Examples of contort in a Sentence

His body contorted with pain.
The boy contorted his body to squeeze through the gate.
Her face was contorted with rage.

Recent Examples of contort from the Web

This allows you the option for the dryer to be totally heatless on an endless range of blow-dry speeds — without having to contort your finger to hold down the cold shot button.

— rebecca norris, Allure, "The "Heatless" Blow-Dryer From Hai Beauty Concepts That Dried My Hair in 10 Minutes," 15 June 2018
In other words, rather than contorting itself to accommodate our Age of Distraction, baseball should provide a sanctuary from a culture that needs to slow down.

— samantha power, chicagotribune.com, "How baseball will survive in the age of distraction," 30 Apr. 2018
Throughout the video, Gambino and the school children are the lone people untouched, dancing with the history of Jim Crow alive in their feet, contorting and romping, faces plastered with sly, elastic grins.

— jason parham, WIRED, "Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' and the New Shape of Protest Music," 9 May 2018
People magazine labeled him one of its hottest young comics for his act, which not only showcased voice work but utilized the performer’s ability to contort his face to match the character.

— tyler mccarthy, Fox News, "Jim Carrey is getting political with artwork but it's far from the first time he's reinvented himself," 6 June 2018
As a shirtless Glover twists and contorts his body in exaggerated, sometimes humorous ways in the video's foreground, mayhem runs rampant in the background.

— candace mcduffie, Glamour, "Let's Acknowledge the Artists That Paved the Way for Donald Glover's 'This Is America'," 8 May 2018
Despite the absurdity of all this being delivered to you with a deathly straight face, the sheer effort with which Metal Gear Survive contorts itself to fit into the narrative of a much better game isn't nearly the weirdest thing about it.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "R.I.P. Metal Gear Solid, the Best Video Game Series Ever," 7 Mar. 2018
If Trump needs an example of how badly such an outcome can contort a society, one can be found in the United Kingdom, in what has become known as the Windrush scandal.

— amy davidson sorkin, The New Yorker, "Does Donald Trump Understand What DACA Means?," 6 May 2018
Gallup has an advanced handle on the position, adept at setting up defensive backs with precise route running while comfortably contorting his body to haul in difficult throws.

— michael middlehurst-schwartz, USA TODAY, "NFL draft 2018 wide receiver rankings: Alabama's Calvin Ridley poised to make instant impact," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contort.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Circus contortionists are known for twisting their bodies into pretzels; such contortions tend to be easier for females than for males, and much easier for the young than for the old. When trying to say something uncomfortable or dishonest, people often go through verbal contortions. But when someone else "twists" something you said or did, we usually say instead that they've distorted it.

Origin and Etymology of contort

Middle English, from Latin contortus, past participle of contorquēre, from com- + torquēre to twist — more at ¹torture

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

contort Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of contort

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

CONTORT Defined for English Language Learners

contort

verb

Definition of contort for English Language Learners

: to twist into an unusual appearance or shape

CONTORT Defined for Kids

contort

verb con·tort \ kən-ˈtȯrt \

Definition of contort for Students

contorted; contorting

: to give an unusual appearance or unnatural shape to by twisting

His face contorted with anger.

Word Root of contort

The Latin word torquēre, meaning “to twist,” and its form tortus give us the root tort. Words from the Latin torquēre have something to do with twisting. A retort, or angry reply to another's words, twists those words back at the person. To contort is to twist the body in unusual ways. To distort is to twist something, such as the truth, so much that it appears to be something else.