twist

verb \ ˈtwist \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of twist

transitive verb

1 a : 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

3 a : 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

2 a : 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 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

See twist defined for English-language learners

See twist defined for kids

Examples of twist in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of twist from the Web

Roberts said Crenshaw is twisting the description of that vote.

— jeremy wallace, Houston Chronicle, "Jabs flying between Kevin Roberts and Dan Crenshaw in congressional race," 9 Apr. 2018
But the local sheriff’s office said there was no evidence the suspect remained in the county or was hiding out in Cloudland Canyon, an isolated state park filled with deep, twisting canyons.

— scott berson, charlotteobserver, "Man who allegedly killed mom, friend: Movies 'don't do justice to how true terror sounds'' | Charlotte Observer," 9 Apr. 2018
Connolly Road, a narrow, twisting county owned road about a mile long, is a link between two major roads, Route 152 and Route 147, and has a mix of housing, some relatively new, some older.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "More houses coming along Fallston's Connolly Road," 6 Apr. 2018
Progress on the forecasting front moved slowly until the 1970s, when the first Doppler radar scans illuminated the elements of these twisting storms.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "How a Legendary Storm Chaser Changed the Face of Tornado Science," 5 Apr. 2018
And Tony Finau put his first Masters appearance in jeopardy by badly twisting his ankle while celebrating his own ace.

— tod leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Xander Schauffele under Masters radar for some, but not Faldo," 4 Apr. 2018
Or is there a real, meaningful story at the center of all twisting timelines and oddball musical cues?

— scott meslow, GQ, "Legion Season 2 Review: A Trip You Need to Take," 3 Apr. 2018
Instead, the last few months show just how easily restrictions on free speech can be flouted at home while being twisted to serve the ideological purposes of straight-up autocrats abroad.

— yascha mounk, The New Republic, "Germany’s risky law for stopping hate speech on Facebook and Twitter," 3 Apr. 2018
Flaming logs crack open, echoing through central Sardinia’s rugged massifs and twisting valleys, shooting sparks toward a solemn mass of spectators.

— eliot stein, Condé Nast Traveler, "A Pagan Exorcism in Sardinia," 29 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of twist

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-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

twist Synonyms

twist

noun

Definition of twist

1 a : 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

2 a : a turning off a straight course

b : eccentricity, idiosyncrasy

c : a distortion of meaning or sense

3 a : 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

—

twisty

play \ˈtwis-tē\ adjective

See twist defined for English-language learners

Examples of twist in a Sentence

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 of twist from the Web

To serve, add a twist of fresh ruby grapefruit to the glass.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "Birmingham Food News: Ramen, rolled ice cream, and cajun," 10 Apr. 2018
But approaching every new twist and turn with roughly the same verve doesn’t help the public’s understanding of these issues, and may hinder it.

— matt ford, The New Republic, "If Everything Is a Russia Bombshell, Nothing Is," 9 Apr. 2018
In a new twist, each coach will have the opportunity to save one of their artists, so the artist not selected will be available to be stolen by another coach and potentially saved by their own coach.

— brianne tracy, PEOPLE.com, "Kelly Clarkson's Soul Singers Battle It Out in a Sneak Peek of The Voice Knockout Rounds," 6 Apr. 2018
Fall celebrated the tracksuit, with new twists in the way of chiffons and sequins added in a bid to make things wearable for today, Mizrahi explained.

— kari hamanaka | wwd, latimes.com, "Juicy Couture track collection boasts major bling courtesy of Swarovski," 29 Mar. 2018
News of the mediation plan comes as Michigan State faces a new twist in the scandal surrounding Dr. Nassar.

— rebecca davis o’brien, WSJ, "Michigan State, Plaintiffs Return to Mediation in Suit Over Nassar Allegations," 28 Mar. 2018
But instead of walking out of prison a free man Wednesday, Rodriguez was taken into custody by federal immigration authorities, adding a new and tragic twist to his story.

— gregory pratt, chicagotribune.com, "Freed after wrongful conviction that cost him lawful resident status, man now held by immigration authorities," 28 Mar. 2018
Potholes have been on the mind of nearly every southeast Michigander, but one college student decided to put a new twist on the issue.

— omar abdel-baqui, Detroit Free Press, "Skip the bowl, Michigan college student eats cereal out of a pothole," 22 Mar. 2018
Each paid homage to the genre and put new twists on it.

— emily gaudette, Newsweek, "Netflix's 'Ravenous' is the Best Zombie Horror Film of the Decade, and Also the Most French Canadian," 13 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of twist

1555

in the meaning defined at sense 4

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

twist Synonyms

Synonyms

crotchet, curiosity, eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, individualism, kink, mannerism, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, singularity, tic, trick;

Near Antonyms

conformity, sameness;

Related Words

affectation, airs;

attribute, characteristic, mark, property, trait;

custom, habit, pattern, practice (also practise), way, wont;

addiction;

abnormality, neuroticism, perversion, weirdness;

disposition, genius, leaning, partiality;

bent, inclination, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency, turn;

attitude, character, humor, identity, individuality, nature, personality, temperament;

Other Handicraft Terms

biscuit, darn, tambour, wrought

TWIST Defined for English Language Learners

twist

verb

Definition of twist for English Language Learners

: to bend or turn (something) in order to change its shape
: to bend or turn (something) into a shape or position that is not normal or natural
: to turn (something) in a circular motion with your hand

twist

noun

Definition of twist for English Language Learners

: an act of turning or twisting
: a turn, curve, or bend in a road, river, etc.
: an unexpected or strange occurrence

TWIST Defined for Kids

twist

verb \ ˈtwist \

Definition of twist for Students

twisted; twisting

1 : to turn a part of the body around

She twisted in her seat.

2 : to follow a winding course

The path twisted between the trees.

3 : to form into an unnatural shape : contort

The girl twists her face.

4 : to unite by winding one thread, strand, or wire around another

5 : ²twine 2

6 : to turn so as to sprain or hurt

He twisted his ankle.

7 : to pull off, rotate, or break by a turning force

You can twist a flower from its stem.

8 : to turn (something) in a circular motion with the hand

Twist off the cap.

9 : to change the meaning of

You're twisting my words; that's not what I meant.

twist

noun

Definition of twist for Students

1 : something that has been turned upon itself, coiled, or rotated

twists of rope

2 : an act of turning with force, coiling, or rotating : the state of being turned with force, coiled, or rotated

3 : a spiral turn or curve

4 : a turn or development that is both surprising and strange

5 : an act of changing the meaning

Learn More about twist

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twist

Definition of twist

Examples of twist in a Sentence

Recent Examples of twist from the Web

Origin and Etymology of twist

twist Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

twist

Definition of twist

twisty

Examples of twist in a Sentence

Recent Examples of twist from the Web

First Known Use of twist

twist Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Handicraft Terms

Phrases Related to TWIST

Related Phrases

TWIST Defined for English Language Learners

twist

Definition of twist for English Language Learners

twist

Definition of twist for English Language Learners

TWIST Defined for Kids

twist

Definition of twist for Students

twist

Definition of twist for Students

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