contort

[kuhn-tawrt]

verb (used with object)

1. to twist, bend, or draw out of shape; distort.

verb (used without object)

1. to become twisted, distorted, or strained.

   His face contorted into a grotesque sneer.

contort

/ kənˈtɔːt /

verb

1. to twist or bend severely out of place or shape, esp in a strained manner

Other Word Forms

• contortive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contort¹

1555–65; < Latin contortus twisted together, past participle of contorquēre. See con-, tort

Word History and Origins

Origin of contort¹

C15: from Latin contortus intricate, obscure, from contorquēre to whirl around, from torquēre to twist, wrench

Example Sentences

Performing under the name Mary Caryl, Serritella contorts her body into positions called “The Chopstick,” “The Jade Split” and “The Black Sun Split,” whirling around a silver pole as disco music plays.

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s also how she presents in the world of modeling, hooked up to wires, contorting her body to emulate a snake and sprawled across a hospital bed.

From Los Angeles Times

With the limited time frame, participating theater crews have to quickly establish a place and a sense of purpose, lending the audience, which must immediately contort to their role as actors, a call to action.

From Los Angeles Times

An actor differs: “One contorts oneself thousands of times, but dies only once … It’s simply not worth it.”

From Los Angeles Times

He has the preternatural ability to contort his facial expressions ever so slightly, going from innocent to cold and malevolent and back again in a split second.

From Salon

Related Words

• deform 
• writhe