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

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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 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 Despite some obvious physical scarring and a seeming predilection for contorting her body in creepy ways, Katie seems pretty healthy, or so the Egyptian doctors tell her parents. Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contorting
Verb
  • The least costly and least distorting way to solve the entire financing gap is to extend Social Security's base beyond paychecks to capital income -- capital gains, dividends, interest and pass-through business income.
    Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Is realism based only on minds untouched by illness or some other distorting factor, or at least not so touched that that mind becomes, as my grandmother’s is, unbound?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • When oil wells are shut in, the pressure underground can become imbalanced, deforming the underlying structure.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 May 2026
  • Their atoms are held together by strong chemical bonds and arranged in a stable crystal structure that resists deforming, even at extreme temperatures.
    Vitor Rielli, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Chilean prosecutors believe Ojeda died while his captors were torturing him to get information about the Venezuelan political opposition.
    Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
  • In addition to its prior ties to al-Qaeda, HTS has been accused by the UN and other organizations of human rights abuses against women and children, as well as torturing and executing detainees.
    Connor Greene, Time, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • The breeze was screwing with the sound system, and the temperature dropped abruptly.
    Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 26 June 2026
  • America’s favorite sport is not football, or soccer, but screwing over sports fans, which is why FIFA should hold its World Cup in the United States permanently.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • The recent action in its RSI is confirming our bullish thesis and the MACD is curling positive, nearing a buy signal.
    Jay Woods, CNBC, 23 July 2026
  • Yellow and white stippling on the tops of the leaves, along with leaves that are curling and turning brown, are also signs of a spider mite infestation.
    The Spruce, The Spruce, 21 July 2026

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“Contorting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorting. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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