warp 1 of 2

warp

2 of 2

verb

1
2
3
as in to deform
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition freezing warped the plastic, and now the cover won't fit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb warp contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of warp are contort, deform, and distort. While all these words mean "to mar or spoil by or as if by twisting," warp indicates an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane.

warped floorboards

When could deform be used to replace warp?

The synonyms deform and warp are sometimes interchangeable, but deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or accident of growth.

a face deformed by hatred

How do distort and contort relate to one another, in the sense of warp?

Distort and contort both imply a wrenching from the natural or normal, but contort suggests a more involved twisting and a more grotesque and painful result.

the odd camera angle distorts the figure
disease had contorted her body

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 warp
Noun
That weird warp of minutes and hours makes sense in light of the death of Lucky’s wife and Mason’s mother. Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025 But how will space-time warp if the object itself is in a superposition of two locations? Anil Ananthaswamy, WIRED, 29 Dec. 2024
Verb
Many people have experienced the ways that the platform has algorithmically warped and influenced our culture, politics, and personal relationships. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2025 Yet maintaining scenic Palos Verdes Drive South has become an increasingly costly, and practically constant, endeavor as the forces behind a relentless landslide continue to crack, shift and warp the two-lane roadway. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for warp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warp
Noun
  • But after searching for the better part of five years, Reddy has hired a new doctor on a half-time basis, and another is coming on board this June.
    Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
  • About 90,000 other refugees were processed at three other military bases in the United States.
    Heather McRea, Oc Register, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • What’s reflected may still be distorted, but at least the mirror is now a little less foggy.
    Diana Spehar, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • By distorting Judaism to minimize, or even erase, the Jewish connection to Israel, JVP seeks to undermine one of the most sacred tenets of our faith and identity.
    Chai Posner, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Yields usually fall when fear is dominating markets, but their surprising earlier rise stirred fears that Trump’s trade war was degrading the U.S. bond market’s status as one of the world’s safest places to keep cash.
    Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Unlike many other archaeological sites in Sweden, where acidic soil degrades organic material, Strandvägen’s conditions have allowed organic material to survive for many years, as Gummesson tells the publication.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Mina and Sade are witnesses not only to each other but also to the conditions that formed and deformed their dreams.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Elevations like underwater mountains, having a larger mass and a stronger gravitational pull, slightly deform the sea surface above them.
    David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The foundation claimed Mexico was unlikely to change its stance when Sheinbaum was elected despite the escalating threat from cartels.
    Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 May 2025
  • Axios initially reported on Saturday that the US, Israel and representatives of a new international foundation are close to an agreement on how to resume the delivery of aid, citing two anonymous Israeli and US sources The Israeli source who spoke to CNN would not say if a deal was imminent.
    Jennifer Hansler, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • What To Know The complaint centers on claims that Tesla and CEO Musk repeatedly misrepresented these systems as fully autonomous or nearly so, even though the technology remains incomplete.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The scholars were joined last year by some of Bonhoeffer’s living relatives, who released a statement accusing Metaxas, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, of misrepresenting Bonhoeffer as a fundamentalist evangelical.
    John Blake, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • That volume is masking deteriorating demand from key sectors - particularly domestic manufacturing, which drives more than 60% of big rig ton miles, and ocean imports.
    Lisa Baertlein, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Armed violence fuels nutrition crisis for Haitian families Famine is looming in Haiti as violence between armed groups continues, alongside extreme poverty and a deteriorating economy.
    Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Authorities received a call around 1:45 p.m. local time, reporting a woman had fallen into the Chasm, which is around a quarter of a mile within granite bedrock walls, and features caves and cliffs.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Whether during the cold war or the era of Sir Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, the bedrock of science has been international cooperation.
    Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Warp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warp. Accessed 7 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on warp

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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