Definitions for: Twist


[n] any clever (deceptive) maneuver; "he would stoop to any device to win a point"
[n] the act of rotating rapidly; "he gave the crank a spin"; "it broke off after much twisting"
[n] turning or twisting around (in place); "with a quick twist of his head he surveyed the room"
[n] the act of winding or twisting; "he put the key in the old clock and gave it a good wind"
[n] a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
[n] an interpretation of a text or action; "they put an unsympathetic construction on his conduct"
[n] a jerky pulling movement
[n] an unforeseen development; "events suddenly took an awkward turn"
[n] a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself
[n] a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight
[n] a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments; "the wrench to his knee occurred as he fell"; "he was sidelined with a hamstring pull"
[v] practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive
[v] twist suddenly so as to sprain; "wrench one's ankle"; "The wrestler twisted his shoulder"; "the hikers sprained their ankles when they fell"; "I turned my ankle and couldn't walk for several days"
[v] form into twists; "Twist the bacon around the sausage"
[v] turn in the opposite direction; "twist a wire"
[v] form into a spiral shape; "The cord is all twisted"
[v] cause to assume a crooked or angular form; "bend the rod"; "twist the dough into a braid"; "the strong man could turn an iron bar"
[v] twist or pull violently or suddenly, esp. so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates; "wrench a window off its hinges"; "wrench oneself free from somebody's grip"; "a deep sigh was wrenched from his chest"
[v] to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (esp. when struggling); "The prisoner writhed in discomfort."; "The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace."
[v] do the twist



Webster (1913) Definition: Twist, n.
1. Act of imparting a turning or twisting motion, as to a
pitched ball; also, the motion thus imparted; as, the
twist of a billiard ball.

2. A strong individual tendency, or bent; a marked
inclination; a bias; -- often implying a peculiar or
unusual tendency; as, a twist toward fanaticism.


Twist, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Twisted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Twisting.] [OE. twisten, AS. twist a rope, as made of two
(twisted) strands, fr. twi- two; akin to D. twist a quarrel,
dissension, G. zwist, Dan. & Sw. tvist, Icel. twistr the
deuce in cards, tvistr distressed. See Twice, Two.]
1. To contort; to writhe; to complicate; to crook spirally;
to convolve.

Twist it into a serpentine form. --Pope.

2. Hence, to turn from the true form or meaning; to pervert;
as, to twist a passage cited from an author.

3. To distort, as a solid body, by turning one part
relatively to another about an axis passing through both;
to subject to torsion; as, to twist a shaft.

4. To wreathe; to wind; to encircle; to unite by intertexture
of parts. ``Longing to twist bays with that ivy.''
--Waller.

There are pillars of smoke twisted about wreaths of
flame. --T. Burnet.

5. To wind into; to insinuate; -- used reflexively; as,
avarice twists itself into all human concerns.

6. To unite by winding one thread, strand, or other flexible
substance, round another; to form by convolution, or
winding separate things round each other; as, to twist
yarn or thread. --Shak.

7. Hence, to form as if by winding one part around another;
to wreathe; to make up.

Was it not to this end That thou began'st to twist
so fine a story? --Shak.

8. To form into a thread from many fine filaments; as, to
twist wool or cotton.


Twist, v. i.
1. To be contorted; to writhe; to be distorted by torsion; to
be united by winding round each other; to be or become
twisted; as, some strands will twist more easily than
others.

2. To follow a helical or spiral course; to be in the form of
a helix.


Twist, n.
1. The act of twisting; a contortion; a flexure; a
convolution; a bending.

Not the least turn or twist in the fibers of any one
animal which does not render them more proper for
that particular animal's way of life than any other
cast or texture. --Addison.

2. The form given in twisting.

[He] shrunk at first sight of it; he found fault
with the length, the thickness, and the twist.
--Arbuthnot.

3. That which is formed by twisting, convoluting, or uniting
parts. Specifically:
(a) A cord, thread, or anything flexible, formed by
winding strands or separate things round each other.
(b) A kind of closely twisted, strong sewing silk, used by
tailors, saddlers, and the like.
(c) A kind of cotton yarn, of several varieties.
(d) A roll of twisted dough, baked.
(e) A little twisted roll of tobacco.
(f) (Weaving) One of the threads of a warp, -- usually
more tightly twisted than the filling.
(g) (Firearms) A material for gun barrels, consisting of
iron and steel twisted and welded together; as,
Damascus twist.
(h) (Firearms & Ord.) The spiral course of the rifling of
a gun barrel or a cannon.
(i) A beverage made of brandy and gin. [Slang]

4. [OE.; -- so called as being a two-forked branch. See
Twist, v. t.] A twig. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Fairfax.

Gain twist, or Gaining twist (Firearms), twist of which
the pitch is less, and the inclination greater, at the
muzzle than at the breech.

Twist drill, a drill the body of which is twisted like that
of an auger. See Illust. of Drill.

Uniform twist (Firearms), a twist of which the spiral
course has an equal pitch throughout.

Synonyms: bend, braid, construction, convolute, device, distort, eddy, gimmick, kink, pervert, plait, pull, rick, sophisticate, spin, sprain, squirm, tress, turn, turn, turn, turn of events, twine, twirl, twirl, twist around, twisting, whirl, wind, winding, worm, wrench, wrench, wrench, wrestle, wrick, wriggle, writhe

Antonyms: unbend, untwist

See Also: bend, birling, change form, change shape, coiffure, contort, convolute, convolve, crank, crease, crimp, curl, current, dance, deform, denote, dent, development, enlace, entangle, entwine, fast one, flexure, fold, form, gnarl, hair style, hairdo, harm, hurt, incurvate, indent, injure, injury, interlace, interpretation, intertwine, interweave, kink, lace, logrolling, maneuver, manoeuvre, mat, motion, move, movement, pigtail, pirouette, plication, pull, queue, quirk, refer, rotation, shape, snarl, spin, sprain, stream, tactical maneuver, tactical manoeuvre, tangle, trauma, trick, trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe, turn, twiddle, wave, weave, wound, wrench, wrench, wring

Try our:
Scrabble Word Finder

Scrabble Cheat

Words With Friends Cheat

Hanging With Friends Cheat

Scramble With Friends Cheat

Ruzzle Cheat



Related Resources:
animals begin with d
animals beginning with h
animals starting with b