contort

(redirected from contorts)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.

con·tort

 (kən-tôrt′)
v. con·tort·ed, con·tort·ing, con·torts
v.tr.
1. To twist, wrench, or bend out of proper or natural shape: fingers contorted by arthritis. See Synonyms at distort.
2. To cause to deviate from what is normal, proper, or accurate: The leaders of the movement contorted their own principles in trying to get what they wanted.
v.intr.
To become contorted: "Her face contorts with pain and horror, as if something deep inside her has been shattered" (Rachel Simon).

[Latin contorquēre, contort-, to twist : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + torquēre, to twist; see terkw- in Indo-European roots.]

con·tor′tion n.
con·tor′tive adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

contort

(kənˈtɔːt)
vb
to twist or bend severely out of place or shape, esp in a strained manner
[C15: from Latin contortus intricate, obscure, from contorquēre to whirl around, from torquēre to twist, wrench]
conˈtortive adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

con•tort

(kənˈtɔrt)

v.t.
1. to twist, bend, or draw out of shape; distort.
v.i.
2. to become twisted, distorted, or strained.
[1555–65; < Latin contortus twisted together, past participle of contorquēre. See con-, tort]
con•tor′tive, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

contort


Past participle: contorted
Gerund: contorting

Imperative
contort
contort
Present
I contort
you contort
he/she/it contorts
we contort
you contort
they contort
Preterite
I contorted
you contorted
he/she/it contorted
we contorted
you contorted
they contorted
Present Continuous
I am contorting
you are contorting
he/she/it is contorting
we are contorting
you are contorting
they are contorting
Present Perfect
I have contorted
you have contorted
he/she/it has contorted
we have contorted
you have contorted
they have contorted
Past Continuous
I was contorting
you were contorting
he/she/it was contorting
we were contorting
you were contorting
they were contorting
Past Perfect
I had contorted
you had contorted
he/she/it had contorted
we had contorted
you had contorted
they had contorted
Future
I will contort
you will contort
he/she/it will contort
we will contort
you will contort
they will contort
Future Perfect
I will have contorted
you will have contorted
he/she/it will have contorted
we will have contorted
you will have contorted
they will have contorted
Future Continuous
I will be contorting
you will be contorting
he/she/it will be contorting
we will be contorting
you will be contorting
they will be contorting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been contorting
you have been contorting
he/she/it has been contorting
we have been contorting
you have been contorting
they have been contorting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been contorting
you will have been contorting
he/she/it will have been contorting
we will have been contorting
you will have been contorting
they will have been contorting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been contorting
you had been contorting
he/she/it had been contorting
we had been contorting
you had been contorting
they had been contorting
Conditional
I would contort
you would contort
he/she/it would contort
we would contort
you would contort
they would contort
Past Conditional
I would have contorted
you would have contorted
he/she/it would have contorted
we would have contorted
you would have contorted
they would have contorted
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.contort - twist and press out of shape
morph - change shape as via computer animation; "In the video, Michael Jackson morphed into a panther"
distort, twine, twist - form into a spiral shape; "The cord is all twisted"
wring, wrench - twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish; "Wring one's hand"
wring - twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid; "wring the towels"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

contort

verb twist, knot, distort, warp, deform, misshape His face contorts as he screams out the lyrics.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

contort

verb
To alter and spoil the natural form or appearance of:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَلْتَوي، يَتَلَوّى
zkřivitzkroutit
fortrækkeforvride
afskræma
iškraipymasiškraipytiperkreipti
sagrieztsaliektsaviebt
bükmekburuşturmak

contort

[kənˈtɔːt] VTretorcer
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

contort

[kənˈtɔːrt] vttordre, crisper
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

contort

vt
one’s features, metalverziehen (into zu); limbsverrenken, verdrehen; a face contorted with painein schmerzverzerrtes Gesicht; a contorted smileein verkrampftes Lächeln
(fig) wordsverdrehen; report alsoverzerren
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

contort

[kənˈtɔːt] vtcontorcere
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

contort

(kənˈtoːt) verb
to twist or turn violently. His face was contorted with pain.
conˈtortion (-ʃən) noun
conˈtortionist noun
an entertainer who contorts his body.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
Around it was a patch of silent common, smouldering in places, and with a few dark, dimly seen objects lying in contorted attitudes here and there.
I had crossed a marshy tract full of willows, bulrushes, and odd, outlandish, swampy trees; and I had now come out upon the skirts of an open piece of undulating, sandy country, about a mile long, dotted with a few pines and a great number of contorted trees, not unlike the oak in growth, but pale in the foliage, like willows.
Why assume that a doubled-up body, a contorted, purple face, and a gaping mouth emitting a series of ear-splitting shrieks point to a state of more intelligent happiness than a pensive face reposing upon a little white hand, and a pair of gentle tear-dimmed eyes looking back through Time's dark avenue upon a fading past?
The old man contorted himself aboard, rolling his body across the gunwale so quickly, that, even while it started to capsize, his weight was across the danger-point and counterbalancing the canoe to its proper equilibrium.
The coachman reined in his four black steeds, and the whole cavalcade came to a pause in front of the contorted iron balustrade that fenced the Province House from the public street.
Under the trees several pheasants lay about, their rich plumage dabbled with blood; some were dead, some feebly twitching a wing, some staring up at the sky, some pulsating quickly, some contorted, some stretched out--all of them writhing in agony, except the fortunate ones whose tortures had ended during the night by the inability of nature to bear more.
"Oh!" replied the giant, making an effort that contorted every muscle of his body - "oh!
Of an impulsive and passionate nature, she had fortified herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely, wreaking itself in every variety of insult; but there was a quality so much more terrible in the solemn mood of the popular mind, that she longed rather to behold all those rigid countenances contorted with scornful merriment, and herself the object.
There was no color in him; his features were contorted and set, and sweat-drops stood upon his forehead.
As soon as the room was lighted up, Liza sprang up, sat up in bed, and with a contorted face, with a half insane smile, looked at me almost senselessly.
Suddenly beyond her I saw the beautiful face of Phaidor contorted into an expression of malign hatred.
Their awesome, bestial faces were contorted in the most diabolical expressions, as they accused each other of responsibility for the loss.