Definition

1. Noun:

   • A turning or rotating motion: The act of turning something around its own axis or changing its direction.
   • A bend or curve: A part of something that is not straight, such as in a road or path.
   • A sudden, sharp strain on a muscle or ligament: An injury caused by turning a joint beyond its normal range.
   • A clever or deceptive maneuver: A particular way of doing something that is often ingenious or tricky.
   • An unexpected change in a situation: An unforeseen development that alters the course of events.
   • A particular interpretation or slant: A way of presenting information that gives it a specific, often biased, meaning.

2. Verb:

   • To turn or rotate something: To cause something to move in a circular motion or change direction.
   • To bend or curve something out of its normal shape: To force something into a spiral or angled form.
   • To injure a body part by turning it sharply: To sprain or wrench a joint like an ankle or wrist.
   • To move in a winding or contorted path: To follow a course with many turns and bends.
   • To distort the meaning of something: To change or misrepresent facts, words, or information.
   • To form something by winding strands together: To interweave threads, hair, or other materials.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • With a quick twist of the wrist, he opened the jar.
  • The mountain road is full of sharp twists and turns.
  • He suffered a painful twist in his knee during the game.
  • The movie's plot had an unexpected twist at the end.
  • She gave the facts a cynical twist in her report.

• Verb:

  • You need to twist the knob to the right to lock the door.
  • He can twist a balloon into the shape of a dog.
  • Be careful not to twist your ankle on the uneven ground.
  • The river twists through the valley before reaching the sea.
  • Politicians often twist their opponents' words.
  • She learned to twist her hair into a perfect braid.

Advanced Usage

• "A twist of fate": An unexpected and often significant change in circumstances.

  • By a strange twist of fate, they ended up working in the same office.

• "To twist someone's arm": To persuade or pressure someone to do something they might not want to do.

  • I didn't want to go, but he twisted my arm.

• "To twist in the wind": To be left in a difficult or vulnerable situation without support.

  • After the scandal, the minister was left to twist in the wind by his party.

Variants and Related Words

• Twisted (adj): Bent or coiled out of shape; also used metaphorically to mean morally corrupt or perverse.

  • The tree's branches were twisted by the strong winds.
  • He has a twisted sense of humor.

• Twisty (adj): Having many bends or curves.

  • The twisty path made the hike more challenging.

• Twister (n): Informal term for a tornado; also something that twists.

  • A twister touched down south of town.

Synonyms

• Bend: To curve or flex something.
• Wrench: To twist or pull something violently.
• Distort: To change the shape or meaning of something, often for deception.
• Wind: To follow a curving or spiral course.
• Coil: To form something into a series of loops.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Twist around: To turn something so it faces a different direction; to confuse facts.

  • She twisted the mirror around to get a better view.
  • The story got completely twisted around as it was passed on.

• Twist off: To remove something by turning it.

  • He twisted the bottle cap off.

• Twist up: To become tangled or contorted; to cause emotional distress.

  • The wires are all twisted up.
  • The sad news twisted her up inside.

Related Idioms

• "Round the twist" (British informal): Crazy or insane.

  • All this noise is driving me round the twist.

• "To get one's knickers in a twist": To become overly upset or agitated about something.

  • Don't get your knickers in a twist; we'll solve the problem.

Noun

1. turning or twisting around (in place)
   • with a quick twist of his head he surveyed the room
2. the act of winding or twisting
   • he put the key in the old clock and gave it a good wind
3. 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
4. a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
5. a jerky pulling movement
6. a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself
7. a circular segment of a curve
   • a bend in the road
   • a crook in the path
8. a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight
9. a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments
   • the wrench to his knee occurred as he fell
   • he was sidelined with a hamstring pull
10. the act of rotating rapidly
    • he gave the crank a spin
    • it broke off after much twisting
11. any clever maneuver
    • he would stoop to any device to win a point
    • it was a great sales gimmick
    • a cheap promotions gimmick for greedy businessmen
12. an interpretation of a text or action
    • they put an unsympathetic construction on his conduct
13. an unforeseen development
    • events suddenly took an awkward turn

Verb

1. 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
2. practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive
   • Don't twist my words
3. 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 a window off its hinges
   • wrench oneself free from somebody's grip
   • a deep sigh was wrenched from his chest
4. do the twist
5. extend in curves and turns
   • The road winds around the lake
   • the path twisted through the forest
6. form into twists
   • Twist the strips of dough
7. form into a spiral shape
   • The cord is all twisted
8. turn in the opposite direction
   • twist one's head
9. cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form
   • bend the rod
   • twist the dough into a braid
   • the strong man could turn an iron bar
10. to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
    • The prisoner writhed in discomfort
    • The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace