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

Parscale has assumed the role of Trump’s troll-in-chief, backing his boss’s boasts and false claims; generating ads playing to voters’ fears; twisting the knife on the president’s opponents; and caricaturing Democrats’ policies. — Peter Elkind, ProPublica, "The Myths of the “Genius” Behind Trump’s Reelection Campaign," 11 Sep. 2019 Minnesota United lost to one of the worst teams in MLS on Wednesday, and a former Loon helped twist the knife. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Minnesota United curtail playoff push in loss to one of league’s worst," 11 Sep. 2019 Still, Shanley manages with lyrical economy to create a twisting battle of wills, building to the kind of satisfying confrontation scene audiences crave. — Peter Marks, Washington Post, "‘Doubt’ covered child abuse in the church a decade and a half ago. It’s still relevant.," 10 Sep. 2019 The picture on the puzzle consists of a twisting vine. — Quanta Magazine, "The Puzzling Search for Perfect Randomness," 20 Aug. 2019 The supermodel also dislocated her wrist and, on top of that, had already twisted her ankle earlier in practice. — Christina Dugan, PEOPLE.com, "Christie Brinkley's Daughter Sailor Reveals She Didn't Want to Join Dancing with the Stars at First," 17 Sep. 2019 Some packages contain a single lock, shorter than a thumbnail; others hold long clumps, twisted like spaghetti. — Heather Murphy, New York Times, "Why This Scientist Keeps Receiving Packages of Serial Killers’ Hair," 16 Sep. 2019 Michele Dauber, the leader of the Persky Recall campaign, lied and twisted the facts about the Turner case and at least five of Persky’s past cases; this false information was published by the news media without any apparent fact-checking. — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, "Letter: Cupertino school talks safety, but hired Persky to coach girls?," 15 Sep. 2019 The 21-year-old completed his hat-trick early in the second half, twisting his defender inside-out before lashing past Patricio once again. — SI.com, "Wolves 2-5 Chelsea: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Tammy Abraham Runs Riot in Mad Molineux Encounter," 14 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In week 3, USA’s tribunal — made up of Josh Martinez, Laurel Stucky and Zach Nichols — took advantage of the season’s twist and threw in their own teammate, Bergmann, to compete against U.K.’s Stephen Bear. — Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE.com, "The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: Laurel Stucky and Cara Maria Sorbello's Feud Is Heating Up," 17 Sep. 2019 Park staffers Julie Herchenbach, Dana Haley and Beth Bronstein came up with new twists to the long-time, annual event. — Denys Bucksten, chicagotribune.com, "Moms and sons hang out in Libertyville," 16 Sep. 2019 That end-twist came after a scarier, more insular entry for the franchise (notably directed by The Orphanage filmmaker J.A. Bayona as opposed to Trevorrow) that had already seen Isla Nublar melt down during a volcanic eruption. — Isaac Feldberg, Fortune, "How the ‘Battle at Big Rock’ Short Film Sets Up a Smarter, Scarier ‘Jurassic World 3’," 16 Sep. 2019 It's not revealed until the end of the book and that's kind of like one of the twists. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "Akwaeke Emezi on "Pet" and on Making a Better World for Their Protagonist, a Black Trans Girl Named Jam," 13 Sep. 2019 This recruitment is going to take many more twists even after Evans commits. — al, "Southern 120: Where will the 19 uncommitted prospects end up?," 13 Sep. 2019 For a twist on French toast, try this one with a crunchy coating of cornflakes. — Los Angeles Times, "6 easy, sweet brunch recipes to make at home," 13 Sep. 2019 Spacious and atmospheric, the emotive track is built around its titular vocal sample which twists and turns on a bed of breakbeats, fading in and out like a dream interrupted. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "First Spin: The Week's Best New Dance Tracks From Black Coffee & Usher, Riva Starr & More," 13 Sep. 2019 The twist is intended to draw attention to the real-world disparity between what women and men are paid at work. — Sarah Min, CBS News, "In Hasbro's new Ms. Monopoly, women earn more than men," 10 Sep. 2019

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-