DISTORT

deform, distort, strain

(verb) alter the shape of (something) by stress; “His body was deformed by leprosy”

falsify, distort, garble, warp

(verb) make false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story

twist, twine, distort

(verb) form into a spiral shape; “The cord is all twisted”

contort, deform, distort, wring

(verb) twist and press out of shape

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Verb

distort (third-person singular simple present distorts, present participle distorting, simple past and past participle distorted)

(transitive) To bring something out of shape, to misshape.

(intransitive, ergative) To become misshapen.

(transitive) To give a false or misleading account of

Synonyms

• (to bring something out of shape): deform

Adjective

distort (comparative more distort, superlative most distort)

(obsolete) Distorted; misshapen.

Her face was ugly and her mouth distort.

Source: Wiktionary

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Dis*tort", a. Etym: [L. distortus, p. p. of distorquere to twist, distort; dis- + torquere to twist. See Torsion.]

Definition: Distorted; misshapen. [Obs.] Her face was ugly and her mouth distort. Spenser.

Dis*tort", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distorted; p. pr. & vb. n. Distorting.]

1. To twist of natural or regular shape; to twist aside physically; as, to distort the limbs, or the body. Whose face was distorted with pain. Thackeray.

2. To force or put out of the true posture or direction; to twist aside mentally or morally. Wrath and malice, envy and revenge, do darken and distort the understandings of men. Tillotson.

3. To wrest from the true meaning; to pervert; as, to distort passages of Scripture, or their meaning.

Syn.

– To twist; wrest; deform; pervert.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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