distort

verb dis·tort \ di-ˈstȯrt \

Updated on: 25 Apr 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

Some planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, are less than perfectly spherical because the force of their rotation distorts their shape.

— anna diamond, Smithsonian, "What’s the Difference Between Moths and Butterflies and More Questions From Our Readers," 19 Apr. 2018
Kris Dunn is Jonny Greenwood — creative, composer, orchestrator, brilliant, occasionally distorted.

— k.c. johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls Q&A: What position will they address in the draft? How will Zach LaVine's contract talks go?," 17 Apr. 2018
The crashed distorted and cracked one of the bridge's primary vertical members.

— the enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Roebling Suspension Bridge repairs start Wednesday with May 1 reopening planned," 16 Apr. 2018
Beyond public health, distorting census data by asking this question is a fundamental threat to our democracy.

— marta induni, STAT, "Adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census would be disastrous for public health," 13 Apr. 2018
Many senior staffers were convinced Kelly was distorting the facts to try to exonerate himself, though some otherssay his account was accurate.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "'When you lose that power': How John Kelly faded as White House disciplinarian," 7 Apr. 2018
Selfies, particularly up-close ones taken at certain angles in front of the face, tend to distort the nose.

— carolyn crist, WIRED, "Use Science (Not Surgery) to Create Your Best Selfie," 31 Mar. 2018
Like the sugar and tobacco lobbies, the NRA has paid for experts to distort scholarship with propaganda and suppress objective research.

— mari uyehara, GQ, "The Sliming of David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez," 30 Mar. 2018
And maybe the tilting, aura-sheathed object was actually a distant conventional aircraft distorted by image-processing firmware and autotracking sensors within the fighter jet’s gun camera.

— lee billings, Scientific American, "It’s Never Aliens—until It Is," 9 Jan. 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.