twist

1. 1.

   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”

   Synonymswrithewrestlewrigglewormsquirm

   Broadermove

   Narrowerwrench
2. 2.

   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”

   Synonymsflexbenddeformturn

   Broaderchange shape

   Narrowerindentincurvategnarlcrank
3. 3.

   turn in the opposite direction

   “twist one's head”

   Broaderturn

   Narrowercrickquirkcurl
4. 4.

   form into a spiral shape

   “The cord is all twisted”

   Synonymstwinedistort

   Antonymsuntwist

   Broaderchange shape

   Narrowerwringcontortentangleintertwinespin
5. 5.

   form into twists

   “Twist the strips of dough”

   Broadershape
6. 6.

   extend in curves and turns

   “The road winds around the lake”

   “the path twisted through the forest”

   Synonymswindcurve

   Broaderbe

   Narrowercircumvolutespiralsnake
7. 7.

   do the twist

   Broaderdance
8. 8.

   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”

   Synonymswrench

   Broaderpull
9. 9.

   practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive

   “Don't twist my words”

   Synonymstwist aroundpervertconvolutesophisticate

   Broaderdenote
10. 10.

    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”

    Synonymssprainwrenchturnwrickrick

    Broaderinjure

Other forms of twist

plural

twists·

past tense

twisted·

present participle

twisting·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about twist

What does twist mean?

twist means "an unforeseen development". That is the primary sense; the word has 23 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in twist?

twist has 1 syllable: twist. In IPA it is /ˈtwɪst/.

What is another word for twist?

Close synonyms include turn, turn of events, construction, device, gimmick. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of twist?

The recorded antonyms are untwist.

Is twist a common word?

twist is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.