writhed

verb

past tense of writhe
1
as in twisted
to cause to twine about one another tends to writhe his fingers together when he's nervous or upset

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in twitched
to make jerky or restless movements writhing in pain from his injuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 writhed Legend writhed in pain on the ground as Ruca took a second on her back to gather herself. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 While family members and peers in Yuba City waited for more information, Burris writhed deeper into the bus, and responders in Martinez formulated a plan to rescue the people left inside. — Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026 His fingers splayed and writhed like a terrible mandible. — Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026 Ref Bankes initially ignored the wide-eyed protests of several Chelsea players to flash only his yellow card as Garnacho writhed, grimacing on the floor and clutching his left leg. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026 Doncic writhed below the basket, spending a stoppage of 2-plus minutes with a Lakers trainer kneeling beside him. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026 As a teller activated an alarm and called 911 from under her station desk, Brown writhed on the carpet. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025 Lorde writhed and danced on the b-stage and then launched into her own verse, recorded for the song’s viral remix during the brat-green summer of 2024. — Rachel Scharf, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2025 Tatum clutched his ankle and writhed in agony on the hardwood of Madison Square Garden before being wheeled to the locker room, head in hands. — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhed
  1. twisted
  2. twitched
  3. braided
  4. squirmed
  5. plied
  6. fidgeted
  7. entwined
  8. tossed
Verb
  • The rat bit and tore and scratched while the snake twisted and flailed.
    — Madeline ffitch, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • After the hair is parted into sections, each section is twisted or braided.
    — Eden Stuart, Allure, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of twisted
Verb
  • Just then, Chee Meng’s fishing rod twitched, and the line began to run out.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of twitched
Verb
  • After the hair is parted into sections, each section is twisted or braided.
    — Eden Stuart, Allure, 26 Oct. 2026
  • His creator, an unnamed basket-weaver (Peter Dinklage), braided him as a mate for a lonely virgin, a fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who stomps around her rustic village smelling like sushi and tossing her head back in an Eliza Doolittle guffaw.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of braided
Verb
  • Erling Haaland headed City level in the second half, but Jackson got his second and the winner with a first-time finish that squirmed under goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • In the back, tanks bubbled with live lobsters while crawfish squirmed in boxes nearby.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of squirmed
Verb
  • Much as Las Vegas casinos plied high rollers with gourmet meals and lavish entertainment, sports gaming apps are now rewarding VIP bettors with luxury suite access, autographed jerseys and unique fan experiences.
    — Jake Rosenwasser, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The partnership between two outsiders clawing their way in, joined by an equally canny journalist played by Claire Foy, comes to shape Fleet Street, the London thoroughfare where scribblers plied their trade, in Lamb’s and Murdoch’s images.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of plied
Verb
  • Leaning against a desk, Thune fidgeted constantly as the chamber voted and the president's arrival neared.
    — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.
    — David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Definition of fidgeted
Verb
  • Still, the exchange revealed how entwined the debate about diagnosis had become with the development and marketing of treatments.
    — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • When Luke’s current assignment becomes entwined with Colter’s, the two become uneasy partners.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of entwined
Verb
  • So, Doncic just tossed up the three-pointer from the three-point line on the Portland side of the court that banked in as time expired.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Turbulence tossed it up and down by 700 feet (200 meters), but the situation quickly escalated as the aircraft fell at breathtaking speed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of tossed

Browse Nearby Words

writhe
writhed
writhes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Writhed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhed. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of defer

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All