distort

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verb dis·tort \di-ˈstȯrt\

Definition of distort

transitive verb
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

Duda, responding to a U.S. reporter's question about his own actions toward the news media, blamed Polish journalists for intentionally distorting his record and for failing to include his positions in articles critical of his government.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Trump, in Poland, urges West to ‘defend our civilization’", 6 July 2017
Like limiting our media consumption, only associating with those who hold our same values and opinions distorts our perception of the other side.

— orrin g. hatch, Time, "Sen. Orrin Hatch: I Am Re-Committing to Civility", 28 June 2017
Arturo Di Modica, the Italian sculptor of the famous Charging Bull, has accused Fearless Girl of distorting the meaning of his artwork and demanded that it be moved.

— krishna thakker, Fortune, "Fearless Girl Takes Home 3 Top Awards at the Cannes Ad Festival", 20 June 2017
The bell-like sweetness of my kindergartner’s chatter seemed distant and hollow; depression was descending and distorting my world.

— leslie kendall dye, SELF, "My Gynecologist Wouldn’t Give Me an Elective Abortion—So I Broke Up With Her", 20 June 2017
The right pic is slightly distorted (the entire front side of me) from the light coming through my shutters behind me.

— elizabeth narins, Cosmopolitan, "9 Butt Moves That Beat Squats", 20 June 2017
What are our young servicemen to think if our remembrance of the dead 40 years later is distorted in a way that does not do justice to the dead at all?

— roman pletter, Washington Post, "Helmut Kohl, German statesman who united his country after Cold War, dies at 87", 16 June 2017
This oncoming square, with the planets 90 degrees apart from each other, is going to cloud your perception and distort your reality.

— jodie layne, Allure, "What This Week's Horoscope Means for You", 11 June 2017
Exxon Mobil Corp. accused New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of wildly distorting in court how the company calculates the long-term financial impact of climate change on its assets.

— erik larson, star-telegram, "Exxon says N.Y. attorney general distorting company’s climate data", 9 June 2017

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

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First Known Use: 1567

See Words from the same year

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

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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

play

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.