twist Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an unforeseen development
    turn; turn of events.
    • events suddenly took an awkward turn
  2. noun an interpretation of a text or action
    construction.
    • they put an unsympathetic construction on his conduct
  3. noun any clever maneuver
    device; gimmick.
    • he would stoop to any device to win a point
    • it was a great sales gimmick
    • a cheap promotions gimmick for greedy businessmen
  4. noun the act of rotating rapidly
    whirl; twisting; spin; twirl.
    • he gave the crank a spin
    • it broke off after much twisting
  5. noun a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments
    pull; wrench.
    • the wrench to his knee occurred as he fell
    • he was sidelined with a hamstring pull
  6. noun a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight
    kink; twirl.
  7. noun a circular segment of a curve
    crook; bend; turn.
    • a bend in the road
    • a crook in the path
  8. noun a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself
    eddy.
  9. noun a jerky pulling movement
    wrench.
  10. noun a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
    braid; tress; plait.
  11. noun social dancing in which couples vigorously twist their hips and arms in time to the music; was popular in the 1960s
    • they liked to dance the twist
  12. noun the act of winding or twisting
    winding; wind.
    • he put the key in the old clock and gave it a good wind
  13. noun turning or twisting around (in place)
    turn.
    • with a quick twist of his head he surveyed the room
  14. verb to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
    wrestle; writhe; worm; wriggle; squirm.
    • The prisoner writhed in discomfort
    • The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace
  15. verb cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form
    flex; turn; bend; deform.
    • bend the rod
    • twist the dough into a braid
    • the strong man could turn an iron bar
  16. verb turn in the opposite direction
    • twist one's head
  17. verb form into a spiral shape
    twine; distort.
    • The cord is all twisted
  18. verb form into twists
    • Twist the strips of dough
  19. verb extend in curves and turns
    curve; wind.
    • The road winds around the lake
    • the path twisted through the forest
  20. verb do the twist
  21. verb twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates
    wrench.
    • wrench a window off its hinges
    • wrench oneself free from somebody's grip
    • a deep sigh was wrenched from his chest
  22. verb practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive
    convolute; pervert; sophisticate; twist around.
    • Don't twist my words
  23. verb twist suddenly so as to sprain
    turn; rick; wrick; sprain; wrench.
    • 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

WordNet

Twist transitive verb
Etymology
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.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Twisted; present participle & verbal noun Twisting
Definitions
  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 intransitive verb
Definitions
  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 noun
Definitions
  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.

Webster 1913