twist

verb

\ ˈtwist

twisted; twisting; twists

Definition of twist

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to unite by winding twisting strands together

b : to make by twisting strands together twist thread from yarn

c : to mingle by interlacing

2 : twine, coil

3a : to wring or wrench so as to dislocate or distort especially : sprain twisted my ankle

b : to alter the meaning of : distort, pervert twisted the facts

c : contort twisted his face into a grin

d : to pull off, turn, or break by torsion twist the nut off the bolt

e : to cause to move with a turning motion twisted her chair to face the fire

f : to form into a spiral shape

g : to cause to take on moral, mental, or emotional deformity celebrity has twisted their sense of decorum

h : to make (one's way) in a winding or devious manner to a destination or objective

intransitive verb

1 : to follow a winding course : snake

2a : to turn or change shape under torsion

b : to assume a spiral shape

c : squirm, writhe

d : to dance the twist

3 of a ball : to rotate while taking a curving path or direction

4 : turn sense 3a twisted around to see behind him

twist in the wind

: to be left to face a difficult situation without support or help

twist one's arm

: to bring strong pressure to bear on one

twist

noun

Definition of twist (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : an act of twisting : the state of being twisted

b : a dance performed with strenuous gyrations especially of the hips

c : the spin given the ball in any of various games

d : a spiral turn or curve

e(1) : torque or torsional stress applied to a body (such as a rod or shaft)

(2) : torsional strain

(3) : the angle through which a thing is twisted

2a : a turning off a straight course

b : eccentricity, idiosyncrasy

c : a distortion of meaning or sense

3a : an unexpected turn or development weird twists of fate— W. L. Shirer

b : a clever device : trick questions demanding special twists of thinking — New Yorker

c : a variant approach or method : gimmick a kind of twist on the old triangle theme— Dave Fedo

4 : something formed by twisting or winding: such as

a : a strip of citrus peel used to flavor a drink

b : a baked piece of twisted dough

c : a thread, yarn, or cord formed by twisting two or more strands together

d : a strong tightly twisted sewing silk

e : tobacco leaves twisted into a thick roll

5 : a front or back dive in which the diver twists sideways a half or full turn before entering the water

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Examples of twist in a Sentence

Verb

The toy can be twisted into different shapes. She twisted balloons into the shapes of different animals. The antenna was twisted out of shape. The car was a heap of twisted metal after the accident. He twists his lip into an odd expression when he's thinking. twist the dials on the radio The bottle cap twists off.

Noun

a simple twist of the wrist The jar should open with a twist of the lid. The road has some nasty twists. The coastal road had many twists and turns. It was a film noir with some clever twists. In an unusual twist, the police arrested one of their own. They were brought together by a strange twist of fate.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Crockford suggests focusing on exercises that keep the core stable and avoiding twisting movements to avoid exacerbating pain. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "10 Core Exercises for Lower Back Pain Relief," 9 Nov. 2018 If specific movements like twisting or bending or extending your spine feel uncomfortable, there may be mobility (flexibility) issues at play. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "10 Core Exercises for Lower Back Pain Relief," 9 Nov. 2018 Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. — BostonGlobe.com, "How to remove a tick from your body," 7 May 2018 Or twist and search for a new goalkeeper to be entrusted with the number one shirt at Anfield. — SI.com, "Sky Sports Pundit Insists That Liverpool 'Need a New Goalkeeper' Despite Loris Karius' Recent Form," 5 May 2018 And sometimes those journeys were twisted or dark or extreme. — Salamishah Tillet, New York Times, "The Gladiators of ‘Scandal’ Leave the Arena," 12 Apr. 2018 While seated, most people shift into an awkward position that requires them to reach, twist or perform other abnormal movements. — Tj Gibson, azcentral, "Ergonomically Correct," 10 Apr. 2018 But another huge mistake is twisting or hyperextending your back to propel and throw the snow off the shovel. — Jacqueline Andriakos, Health.com, "7 Tips to Shovel Snow Safely and Efficiently (and Even Turn It Into a Workout)," 6 Feb. 2018 Catch the ball again, twisting back to the left and bending your left knee again to absorb the force of the ball. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "Here's What Functional Training Is and Why It's Important," 7 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The palette pulls from the 10 original eyeshadows that the brand launched with in 1998, alongside 10 new iterations given a modern twist. — Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, "Too Faced Is Making a 'Better Than Birthday Sex' Mascara for Its Anniversary," 1 Aug. 2018 To toast its milestone this year, Too Faced will also be amping up its original collection with a modern twist. — Wendy Sy, Allure, "Too Faced and Drybar Want to Make Your Hair Sparkle With Their New Styling Spray," 25 July 2018 The Exchequer Opened in 2009, this award-winning gastropub specializes in serving comfort food with a modern twist. — Sandra Ramani, Condé Nast Traveler, "10 Best Brunch Places in Dublin," 11 July 2018 The announcement came by way of press release — a little old fashioned and with the modern twist — posted at 5:05 p.m. on the Twitter account of his agency, Klutch Sports Group. — Josh Peter, USA TODAY, "LeBron James' soft touch on Lakers move befitting of mature superstar," 1 July 2018 But unlike the previous defending champions to be eliminated this early, there was a modern twist to the German exit. — Christopher Clarey, New York Times, "Germany Crashes Out of World Cup With a Loss to South Korea," 28 June 2018 And Usher, a journalism professor at George Washington University, has just published a new study on the gender disparity, which now exists with a modern twist. — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, "The Male Echo Chamber of Political Twitter," 26 June 2018 Leslie generally tends to favor vintage styles, sometimes with a slightly modern twist like a sheer fabric or bold color update, so her choice of wedding dress wasn’t out of character. — refinery29.com, "Rose Leslie Chose A Wedding Gown Worthy Of A Castle," 23 June 2018 Based on the Newbery-winning book by Gail Carson Levine, this musical offers a modern twist on the Cinderella story. — Matthew J. Palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "The Beatles add music to Orlando Rep's 2018-19 season," 11 June 2018

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

History and Etymology for twist

Verb

Middle English, probably from Middle Dutch twisten, from twist twine, discord, quarrel; akin to Old English -twist (in candeltwist candlesnuffers, mæsttwist twin support for a mast), Middle English twisten to be forked, Middle High German zwist quarrel, Old English twi- twi-