distort

English

Etymology

From Latin distortum, past participle of distorquēre (“to twist, torture, distort”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /dɪsˈtɔː(ɹ)t/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)t

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To bring something out of shape.
2. (intransitive, ergative) To become misshapen.
3. (transitive) To give a false or misleading account of

   In their articles, journalists sometimes distort the truth.

Related terms

• distorted a
• distortion

Derived terms

• distorter

Translations

to bring something out of shape

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: изкривявам (bg) (izkrivjavam), деформирам (bg) (deformiram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 歪曲 (cmn) (wāiqū)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: vervormen (nl)
• Finnish: vääristää (fi), vääntää (fi)
• French: déformer (fr), distordre (fr)
• German: verzerren (de)
• Hungarian: torzít (hu)
• Irish: cuir as a chuma (ga), athchum (ga), cam (ga), fiar (ga)

• Italian: deformare (it)
• Japanese: 歪める (ja) (ゆがめる, yugameru), 曲げる (ja) (まげる, mageru)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: forvrenge (no), fordreie (no)
• Portuguese: distorcer (pt)
• Russian: искажать (ru) (iskažátʹ) impf., исказить (ru) (iskazítʹ) pf.; искривлять (ru) (iskrivljátʹ) impf., искривить (ru) (iskrivítʹ) pf.; изгибать (ru) (izgibátʹ) impf., изогнуть (ru) (izognútʹ) pf.
• Spanish: distorsionar (es)
• Swedish: förvränga (sv)

to give false account of

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: изопачавам (bg) (izopačavam)
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: verdraaien (nl), vervalsen (nl)
• Finnish: vääristää (fi), vääristellä (fi)
• French: déformer (fr)
• German: verzerren (de)
• Hungarian: torzít (hu), csúsztat (hu)
• Irish: cuir as a ríocht (ga), cuir cor i (ga), cuir casadh i (ga)
• Italian: distorcere (it)

• Japanese: 歪める (ja) (ゆがめる, yugameru)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: whakariro (mi)
• Norwegian: forvrenge (no)
• Polish: wypaczać (pl)
• Portuguese: distorcer (pt)
• Russian: искажать (ru) (iskažátʹ) impf., исказить (ru) (iskazítʹ) pf.; извращать (ru) (izvraščátʹ) impf., извратить (ru) (izvratítʹ) pf.
• Spanish: distorsionar (es)
• Swedish: förvränga (sv)

Adjective

distort (comparative more distort, superlative most distort)

1. (obsolete) distorted; misshapen
   • Spenser

     Her face was ugly and her mouth distort.