1
: the twisting or wrenching of a body by the exertion of forces tending to turn one end or part about a longitudinal axis while the other is held fast or turned in the opposite direction
also
: the state of being twisted
2
: the twisting of a bodily organ or part on its own axis
3
: the reactive torque that an elastic solid exerts by reason of being under torsion
torsionally
adverb
Examples of torsion in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If the torsion isn't treated with emergency care, the ovarian tissue can die and cause a patient to lose that ovary.
—
Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
The experiment relied on a sensitive piece of equipment known as a torsion balance, a device that senses minute forces by measuring the twisting angle, or torsion, of metal masses suspended on a thin fiber, which must be operated in a vacuum.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
The torsion balance rod, with smaller masses attached to it, did indeed deflect as predicted.
—Big Think, 6 May 2026
Researchers placed the masses on flat platelike objects called torsion disks, with the lighter masses on the inside suspended by a thin copper beryllium strip and the heavier masses located on a separate disk on the outside.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torsion
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Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
The experiment relied on a sensitive piece of equipment known as a torsion balance, a device that senses minute forces by measuring the twisting angle, or torsion, of metal masses suspended on a thin fiber, which must be operated in a vacuum.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
The torsion balance rod, with smaller masses attached to it, did indeed deflect as predicted.
—Big Think, 6 May 2026
Researchers placed the masses on flat platelike objects called torsion disks, with the lighter masses on the inside suspended by a thin copper beryllium strip and the heavier masses located on a separate disk on the outside.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torsion
Cite this Entry
“Torsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torsion. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
torsion
noun
tor·sion
ˈtȯr-shən 
1
: the act or process of turning or twisting
2
: the state of being twisted
Medical Definition
torsion
noun
tor·sion
ˈtȯr-shən
1
: the twisting of a bodily organ or part on its own axis
intestinal torsion
2
: the twisting or wrenching of a body by the exertion of forces tending to turn one end or part about a longitudinal axis while the other is held fast or turned in the opposite direction
also
: the state of being twisted
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