contort

verb con·tort \ kən-ˈtȯrt \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of contort

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

The 41-year-old pitcher could not contort his body to corral it.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' comeback falls short in loss to Twins," 11 Apr. 2018
In some cases, the rhetoric hasn't matched reality, forcing advisers to contort themselves to explain the President's moves.

— kevin liptak, CNN, "Trump's administration is scrambling to catch up with him," 5 Apr. 2018
Her face contorts into a terrible sob — an expression so cartoonishly broad that’s since been memorialized as a meme.

— tara isabella burton, Vox, "Great movies about faith are hard to come by. Enter Blue Velvet.," 5 Apr. 2018
Williams: Life is hard enough [without] complicating it by trying to contort yourself into other shapes for other people.

— adrienne green, The Atlantic, "Jesse Williams and John Legend on the Challenge of Creating Meaningful Art," 2 Apr. 2018
Lance Stephenson contorted his body and made a driving shot in the lane, putting the Pacers ahead, 95-92 ,with four minutes left.

— clifton brown, Indianapolis Star, "Victor Oladipo puts together absurd statline as Pacers get fifth straight win," 1 Apr. 2018
Those who challenged Scott in the paint had to contend with the junior’s sharp finishing abilities, his 6-foot-4-inch frame contorting through the narrowest of crevices for a clean look at every opportunity.

— owen pence, BostonGlobe.com, "Damani Scott was Mansfield’s MVP in D1 title run," 19 Mar. 2018
Trees contort into humanoid form or evolve into crystalline candelabras.

— christopher orr, The Atlantic, "Annihilation: A Beautiful Heap of Nonsense," 23 Feb. 2018
Dicky enjoys his newfound identity, flexing his dance moves and contorting his body like the celebrated dancer.

— carl lamarre, Billboard, "Lil Dicky Talks 'Freaky Friday' Video & Why Chris Brown Is the 'Best Dancer of Our Time'," 16 Mar. 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.