deform

verb de·form \ di-ˈfȯrm , dē- \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of deform

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

play \-mə-bəl\ adjective

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Examples of deform in a Sentence

The disease eventually deforms the bones.
The disease eventually causes the bones to deform.

Recent Examples of deform from the Web

His face was bruised, his arms and legs were deformed, and he had been burned.

— chris harris, PEOPLE.com, "Man Who Survived Toddler Abuse 20 Years Ago Dies — Leading to Murder Charges Against Mom and Her Ex," 11 Apr. 2018
The shockwave, upon encountering the hollow spheres, deforms them and in the process the armor soaks up their energy.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The United States' Next Tank Could Be Protected by 'Steel Foam'," 28 Mar. 2018
The ice pressure had deformed the skull without breaking it.

— john schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s ice fields and ice caves are worth exploring — but do so cautiously," 27 Mar. 2018
Interactions with sparticles, however, would deform this sphere in a way that would create a slight positive charge in one place and an equal, negative charge opposite it.

— The Economist, "Particle physicsFundamental physics is frustrating physicists," 13 Jan. 2018
Rather than deform democracy to hide from this, the honest ruler seeks to learn from the uncomfortable lessons democratic outcomes often teach.

— j. j. mccullough, National Review, "Democracy vs. Opportunism," 11 Dec. 2017
Everything is a little off, broken or soiled or deformed.

— sam sacks, WSJ, "The Best New Fiction," 20 Oct. 2017
Following these advancements, robots may be able to perform more complex tasks such as lifting and placing objects or handling soft and easy to deform objects like cloth or rope.

— kyree leary, NBC News, "Robots show they can foresee their own future," 2 Jan. 2018
Frum has the better argument here, since the deforming influence of Trump is pervasive, especially as more and more conservatives try to defend the president from the Mueller investigation.

— jeet heer, New Republic, "Divorce Conservatism From the Republican Party," 20 Dec. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of deform

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

deform Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.