warp

noun

\ ˈwȯrp

Definition of warp

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a series of yarns extended lengthwise in a loom and crossed by the weft

b : foundation, base the warp of the economic structure is agriculture — Amer. Guide Series: N.C.

2 : a rope for warping or mooring a ship or boat

3 [ ²warp ]

a : a twist or curve that has developed in something originally flat or straight a warp in a door panel

b : a mental aberration

warp

verb

warped; warping; warps

Definition of warp (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to arrange (yarns) so as to form a warp

2a : to turn or twist out of or as if out of shape especially : to twist or bend out of a plane

b : to cause to judge, choose, or act wrongly or abnormally : pervert

c : distort intellect and learning … warped by prejudices— Irving Wallace warps space and time

d : to deflect from a course

3 : to move (something, such as a ship) by hauling on a line attached to a fixed object

intransitive verb

1 : to become warped

2 : to move a ship by warping

Other Words from warp Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about warp

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for warp

Verb

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

Examples of warp in a Sentence

Noun

There's a warp in the floorboards. an unshakable belief in the essential goodness of humankind is the warp of his philosophy

Verb

The wood was warped by moisture. The heat caused the wood to warp. He held prejudices that warped his judgment.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Thread count is determined by the number of threads lengthwise (called the warp) and widthwise (called the weft) in a 1-inch square of fabric. — Hannah Morrill, ELLE Decor, "The Best Luxury Sheets For the Perfect Night's Sleep," 15 Nov. 2018 Best to remain narcotized and between the Zen warp and weft of high thread-count sheets. — Dwight Garner, New York Times, "A Sleeping Beauty Hopes Hibernation Is the Answer to All Life’s Problems," 2 July 2018 Our bionic descendants might be smart enough to invent warp-drive spaceships and time machines, Mr. Rees suggests. — John Horgan, WSJ, "‘Brief Answers to the Big Questions’ and ‘On the Future’ Review: Serious Doubt on Serious Earth," 18 Oct. 2018 Imagine walking to Worf’s tactical station on the Bridge, pressing buttons on his control panel and firing torpedoes or sitting in Data’s chair at the helm console and taking the ship into warp! — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Amazing NCC-1701-D simulator issues final command: “all stop”," 28 Sep. 2018 This city is changing at warp velocity not approached since the Gold Rush. — Danny Westneat, The Seattle Times, "Why aren’t we asking if Seattle has gotten better, not worse?," 3 Sep. 2018 For the Stepanyan sisters, who are participants at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival this summer, once each row is completed, individual strands of thread will be knotted around pairs of warp threads, varying the colors to make intricate patterns. — Glenn Dixon, Smithsonian, "The Age-Old Tradition of Armenian Carpet Making Refuses to Be Swept Under the Rug," 6 July 2018 Who else can pull off a mid-song tune-warp as dope as this? 1. — Kat Bein, Billboard, "Fatboy Slim's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks," 2 July 2018 Finally, when the Technicolor warp is ready, loom operators stretch it taut and gird it with a cotton or silk weft. — Ryan P. Smith, Smithsonian, "How the Technicolor Ikat Designs of Central Asia Thread Into Textile History," 26 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And for decades, that beauty standard has been warped and objectified by commercial forces outside of the home. — Christine Michel Carter, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Challenges of Raising a Black Girl to Feel Beautiful," 18 Oct. 2018 Our romantic perspective may be warped by way of Venus’s backward spin, so past lovers will be resurfacing, some with a vengeance. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What Your Sign's October 2018 Horoscope Predictions Mean for You," 30 Sep. 2018 Memories can be warped by leading questions from therapists, lawyers, journalists or others. — Richard B. Mckenzie, WSJ, "A Stumble Down Memory Lane," 24 Sep. 2018 The rings' gravitational interactions with one another could model how the disk would warp and change. — Sarah Lewin, Space.com, "Massive Space Structures Have Surprising Connection to Quantum Mechanics Math," 5 Mar. 2018 Gerrymandering has warped the translation of voter preferences into political outcomes, and the ease and efficiency of the American voting process has also declined. — Sheri Berman, Washington Post, "Populists have one big thing right: Democracies are becoming less open," 8 Jan. 2018 In an ongoing series that warps past and future, the 38-year-old artist reimagines touchstones of pop culture (remote controls, Spalding basketballs, a full-scale DeLorean out of Back to the Future) as archaeological relics. — Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, "Only 500 of This Artist’s Space Kit Candle Are Up for Grabs—And They’re Totally Worth the Hype," 30 Nov. 2018 Some blame central banks’ stimulus programs for warping market signals by drastically lowering long-term interest rates and pushing investors into riskier assets. — Christopher Whittall, WSJ, "Favorite Stock Market Crystal Ball May Have a Crack in It," 15 Nov. 2018 Mourning doves would build nests on fire escapes warped and melted by the blast. — Daily Intelligencer, "This Is What a Nuclear Bomb Looks Like," 12 June 2018

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