warp

noun \ ˈwȯrp \

Definition of warp

1 a :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

[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

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warpage

play \ˈwȯr-pij\ noun

See warp defined for English-language learners

See warp defined for kids

Examples of warp in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of warp from the Web

Confirming Einstein’s theory of general relativity Until 29 May 1919, Einstein was an unheard-of physicist whose theory of relativity predicted that an object’s gravitational field would produce a slight warp in the path of oncoming light.

— giorgia guglielmi, Science | AAAS, "Three times scientists learned something from solar eclipses—and three times they were tricked," 17 Aug. 2017
Tizon’s account does not grasp the extent of Pulido’s erasure, but that inability highlights just how slavery warps both the enslaver and the enslaved.

— jean m. twenge, The Atlantic, "The Conversation," 8 Aug. 2017
Others think her head is stuck in some kind of weird time warp.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Here's Why Cersei's Hair Is Still Short on 'Game of Thrones'," 3 Aug. 2017
The result is a momentary reprieve but also, like Venice in its slow winter months, a time warp to an earlier Venice.

— jason horowitz photographs by andrew testa, New York Times, "Venice, Invaded by Tourists, Risks Becoming ‘Disneyland on the Sea’," 2 Aug. 2017
Comeback II: Fontana’s In Arlington, Fontana’s Fine Cuisine has returned, like something from a 1980s time warp.

— bud kennedy, star-telegram, "Three local restaurant comeback stories, starting with Youngblood’s fried chicken," 19 July 2017
In many ways, Porto Heli feels like a time warp to western Mediterranean paradises in, say, the 1970s.

— hannah seligson, Town & Country, "Porto Heli Might Be Greece's Best Kept Secret," 30 June 2017
Since then, Allen, a Democrat, has had to put her campaign into warp drive.

— melissa healy, latimes.com, "Kathie Allen, a family physician who says she has 'strong medicine' for Congress," 15 June 2017
By that time humanity would certainly have developed warp drive and transporters to visit the habitable planets of the galaxy and gently interact with the lusty humanoids, some in furs.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "Please, Stephen Hawking, find us a planet like 'Westeros' or 'Talos IV'," 5 May 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of warp

Middle English, from Old English wearp; akin to Old High German warf warp, Old English weorpan to throw, Old Norse verpa

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

warp Synonyms

Synonyms

basis, bedrock, bottom, cornerstone, footing, foundation, ground, groundwork, keystone, root, underpinning, base, warp and woof

Other Textiles Terms

batt, bias, brocade, duck, flock, lawn, toile

warp

verb

Definition of warp

transitive verb

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

2 a :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

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warper

noun

See warp defined for English-language learners

Examples of warp in a Sentence

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

First Known Use of warp

14th century

warp Synonyms

Synonyms

bend, color, cook, distort, falsify, fudge, misinterpret, misrelate, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, slant, twist, garble

Antonyms

elevate, ennoble, uplift

Related Words

misdescribe, misspeak, mistranslate; belie, camouflage, disguise, dissemble, gloss (over), mask, veil, whitewash; bowdlerize, censor; complicate, confound, confuse, mistake, mix (up); mystify, obscure; equivocate, fib, lie, palter, prevaricate

Near Antonyms

clarify, clear (up), explain, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, spell out; decipher

Synonym Discussion of warp

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

WARP Defined for English Language Learners

warp

noun

Definition of warp for English Language Learners

: a twist or curve in something that is usually flat or straight
: the threads that run up and down on a loom or in a woven fabric

warp

verb

Definition of warp for English Language Learners

: to twist or bend (something) into a different shape
: to cause (a person's opinions, thoughts, etc.) to be changed in a way that is wrong or unnatural