writhe

play

verb \ ˈrīt͟h \

Definition of writhe

writhed; writhing

transitive verb

1 a :to twist into coils or folds

b :to twist so as to distort :wrench

c :to twist (the body or a bodily part) in pain

2 :intertwine

intransitive verb

1 :to move or proceed with twists and turns

writhed to the music

2 :to twist from or as if from pain or struggling

3 :to suffer keenly

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writhe

noun

See writhe defined for English-language learners

See writhe defined for kids

writhe was our Word of the Day on 01/03/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of writhe in a Sentence

She lay on the floor, writhing in pain.
a nest of writhing snakes

Recent Examples of writhe from the Web

The injury initially looked to be more severe than a bone bruise, as Harper's knee straightened unnaturally and the star hit the ground writhing in pain.

— daniel rapaport, SI.com, "Dusty Baker Says Bryce Harper Still Not Running, Frustrated With Injury," 30 Aug. 2017
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto dislocated his left shoulder Thursday, collapsing and writhing in pain after swinging at a pitch.

— scott orgera, The Seattle Times, "Mets’ Conforto dislocates shoulder after swinging at," 24 Aug. 2017
Later on Friday, residents and tourists returned to Barcelona's famous Las Ramblas promenade where hours earlier a white van had zigzagged at high speed through pedestrians and cyclists, leaving bodies and injured writhing in pain in its wake.

— andrés gonzález, The Christian Science Monitor, "Spanish police thwart second vehicle attack south of Barcelona," 18 Aug. 2017
Powerful bursts of the stuff — 15 per container, the packaging says — sent others writhing to the ground, grasping desperately for something to douse themselves with.

— robert king, Indianapolis Star, "The story of Charlottesville told in debris," 13 Aug. 2017
One soldier writhed in pain while the skin seemed to peel off his face.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Game of Thrones: Dragons Are the Nuclear Option," 7 Aug. 2017
The old Volkswagen Kombi is covered in colors and symbols that span ages, continents and astral planes: a sphinx, an eagle, stars and moons, writhing flames and wiggling waves, the Aquarius zodiac sign and the 10 incarnations of Vishnu.

— danielle ohl, baltimoresun.com, "Bus trip: A local artist and documentary crew are hunting for a Woodstock icon," 7 July 2017
Alonso toppled over a Rapids player in a heap and was writhing in agony on the field for several moments during the game.

— geoff baker, The Seattle Times, "Sounders await word on whether Osvaldo Alonso knee sprain is actually more serious," 5 July 2017
His band, a six-piece ensemble of horns, organ, drum and bass, spun its musical colors like a chameleon writhing through a musical menagerie of southern rock, jamming grooves and ferocious roadhouse blues.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Best and worst of Summerfest Day 1: Flume, Lee Fields and the Expressions outplay the rain," 29 June 2017

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

Did You Know?

Writhe wound its way to English from the Old English verb wrīthan ("to twist") and is akin to the Old English verb wrigian ("to turn or go"). Wrigian gave us our words wriggle, awry, and wry. When something wriggles it twists from side to side with quick movements, like an earthworm. When something goes awry, its twists or winds off course, or toward catastrophe. Wry can mean "bent or twisted" but now usually implies clever, ironic humor. Nowadays, writhe often suggests the physical contortions one makes when enduring crippling pain or when trying to extract oneself from a tight grasp (as an animal from a predator's claws). Alternatively, it can imply an emotionally wrenching feeling (as of grief or fear) from which one seeks relief.