1
as in twisting
a forceful rotating or pulling motion for the purpose of dislodging something
with a forceful twist she loosened the bolt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in trick
an odd or peculiar habit
my roommate has his little twists, and I have mine, so things should balance out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to distort
to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of
my enemies will twist my words, but you'll only hear the truth out of me
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2
as in to curl
to follow a circular or spiral course
the path gently twisted down the hill
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3
4
5
as in to twitch
to make jerky or restless movements
the dental patient twisted nervously in the chair
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6
as in to weave
to cause to twine about one another
has the habit of idly twisting the strands of her hair while daydreaming
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of twist
Claire West, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Its policy rhetoric has taken dozens of twists and turns.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
At the end of the fight, Carrick’s arm got twisted.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for twist
Noun
The silhouette leans toward straight-legged, but with a roomy, relaxed twist that exudes effortless style.
—Claire West, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Its policy rhetoric has taken dozens of twists and turns.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Verb
Benge got twisted up and tripped up, and the ball went well over his head and a few feet to his left.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
At the end of the fight, Carrick’s arm got twisted.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for twist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twist
Noun
-
Many of his later programs have been capped by a coda in which the tricks of the trade are laid bare—no trick being more vital than that of extreme patience, with camera operators waiting days, or even weeks, for the right cub, or pup, or fledgling, or froglet, to show up.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
There is not a whole lot to chuckle about these days, and her column does the trick for me every week.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The first mystery that could be solved involves an ultradense clump of matter detected in the system JVAS B1938+666, which is gravitationally lensed, or visibly distorted, thanks to a quirk of general relativity.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 May 2026
-
The loans granted by a government to firms may distort competition within the European market and therefore are prohibited by the European Union.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
Peach leaf curl causes stone fruit leaves to curl and pucker, even on trees sprayed with fungicide and horticultural oil last winter.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Havertz turned and flicked it to Eze at the edge of the area, who curled home a spectacular finish.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Elsewhere, fibers are spun into thread, dyed, bleached, and rewoven into rugs, carpets and blankets.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
-
The 21-year-old left-hander rebounded from two sup-par starts to spin five shutout innings in high Single-A Fort Wayne’s 1-0 win over visiting Beloit.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The weeds can be pulled, hoed or treated with herbicides that permit use near trees.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
-
The coach also pulled small groups of challenging students out of Lignore’s class to teach them social and emotional skills and helped Lignore make and consistently use behavior charts with her students.—
Stacker,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Here, American fighter planes, cargo ships and Japanese freighters have spent decades transforming into thriving artificial reefs, draped in coral and surrounded by twitching clouds of tropical fish.—
Dea Jusufi,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tourists and scientists want to know On Thursday, three tractors spent more than an hour raking the beach at South Pointe Park in Miami Beach as beachgoers weaved around them, stepping over thick piles of sargassum that turned the shoreline water a murky brown.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2026
-
Marner weaved past Husso and tucked the puck in off his backhand.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Give the potato a gentle tug to check for resistance.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
10 May 2026
-
Kalundborg, Denmark — On a boat off Kalundborg harbor, Martin Høgh Sørensen steers while his wife, Karin, and friends Michael and Anne-Louise Eliasen tug and wind ropes to maneuver the sails.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twist. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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