contorting

present participle of contort
as in distorting
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition the acrobat is able to contort his body so that it almost looks like a pretzel

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contorting Yan jumped up — way up — into the air, contorting his legs into somewhat of a split. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 Devotees of his fashions will likely disagree, seeing his pencil strokes bring to life elegant dresses and coats with flame-like lapels, or depict a crane and a contorting human with the same energetic strokes. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 21 July 2026 His adjustments to poor throws at Auburn often presented the illusion that Coleman was levitating before contorting to make a spectacular play. — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 15 July 2026 Videos and photos circulating on social media showed steel columns on the building’s higher floors buckling and contorting on Tuesday. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 8 July 2026 The way Adult Swim’s slate of low-fi, off-kilter programming managed to interrupt the monotony of 2000s cable TV, Friedland’s show follows a familiar format while subtly contorting it. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026 But the same dystopian phenomenon is contorting the whole labor market. — Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 2 June 2026 For more serious cavers who are at least 16 years old, this summer-only, four-hour tour requires crawling, climbing, and contorting. — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 14 May 2026 Despite the complex, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, hundreds of mouths could be seen contorting word-for-word with Springsteen’s, giving the show an intimate, local bar atmosphere. — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contorting
Verb
  • The absurdist look at greed and climate change, reality and the distorting power of media, feckless world leaders and rapacious billionaires, struggled to get off the ground.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
  • But the current state of geopolitics appears to be distorting what being open means.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Moving and deforming ice produces substantial underwater noise.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
  • How are prices set, and how do those prices avoid reproducing the procedural bias already deforming American medicine?
    — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Verb
  • In 1996, Pike was found guilty of first-degree murder for beating, torturing and killing Slemmer, a fellow Jobs Corps worker, in a remote area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In 1995, Christa Pike confessed to murdering and torturing her classmate Colleen Slemmer.
    — Robert Gebelhoff, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The screwworm gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
    — Fabiola Sánchez, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a storyline in season two about AI being employed at the hospital, then screwing everything up when the system goes down.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Sand-like granules collecting in gutters, curling or missing shingles, brittle or cracking shingles, sagging sections and indoor leaks or ceiling stains are the standard indicators that a roof is failing.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Her signature micro braids were scooped up into a half-up, half-down style with free-flowing tendrils curling around her forehead and cheekbones.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 27 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contorting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorting. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster