distort

verb dis·tort \ di-ˈstȯrt \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Definition of distort

1 : to twist (see ¹twist 3b) out of the true meaning or proportion : to alter to give a false or unnatural picture or account

distorted the facts

2 : to twist out of a natural, normal, or original shape or condition

a face distorted by pain

; also : to cause to be perceived unnaturally

the new lights distorted colors

The singer's voice was electronically distorted.

3 : pervert

distort justice

intransitive verb

: to become distorted

Heat caused the wax figures to distort.

; also : to cause a twisting from the true, natural, or normal

—

distorter

noun

See distort defined for English-language learners

See distort defined for kids

Examples of distort in a Sentence

Her face was distorted by pain.
The odd camera angle distorted her figure in the photograph.
The sound of the guitar was distorted.
Heat caused the plastic to distort.
She felt he was distorting the facts.
The story was distorted by the press.
The loss of both her parents at an early age distorted her outlook on life.

Recent Examples of distort from the Web

But taxes, even in the best cases, distort the free market, increase costs and create unintended consequences.

— kansascity, "Jean Paul Bradshaw," 5 June 2018
An Orwellian inversion of power relations has distorted Florida’s political landscape.

— miamiherald, "Leigh-Ann Buchanan," 5 June 2018
No matter the cause, corneal inflammation can distort light that enters your eye, causing sensitivity, Christopher J. Rapuano, M.D., chief of the cornea service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, tells SELF.

— korin miller, SELF, "9 Health Issues That Can Cause Sensitivity to Light," 5 June 2018
That would not merely distort space but dismantle it.

— george musser, Scientific American, "What Is Spacetime?," 8 May 2018
But international health organisations can distort domestic institutions, for example by setting up parallel programmes or by diverting health workers into pet projects.

— The Economist, "Universal health care, worldwide, is within reach," 28 Apr. 2018
But the same network effects that enable misinformation also increasingly distort online commerce.

— elizabeth dwoskin and craig timberg, chicagotribune.com, "How merchants quietly use Facebook to flood Amazon with fake reviews," 24 Apr. 2018
But the same network effects that enable misinformation also increasingly distort online commerce.

— author: elizabeth dwoskin, craig timberg, Anchorage Daily News, "How merchants quietly use Facebook to flood Amazon with fake reviews," 24 Apr. 2018
But as the polymer distorts—by being poked or stretched—the pattern of light reaching each sensor will change, with the details depending on where the changes are taking place.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "Robotic muscle and sensitive polymer fingers in Columbia University’s robotics labs," 21 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of distort

Latin distortus, past participle of distorquēre, from dis- + torquēre to twist — more at ¹torture

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1567

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

distort Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of distort

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

DISTORT Defined for English Language Learners

distort

verb

Definition of distort for English Language Learners

: to change the natural, normal, or original shape, appearance, or sound of (something) in a way that is usually not attractive or pleasing
: to change (something) so that it is no longer true or accurate

DISTORT Defined for Kids

distort

verb dis·tort \ di-ˈstȯrt \

Definition of distort for Students

distorted; distorting

1 : to twist out of shape

2 : to change so as to make untrue or inaccurate

Reports distorted the facts.

Word Root of distort

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.