distort

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin distortum, past participle of distorqueō (“to twist, torture, distort”).

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈtɔɹt/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈtɔːt/
- Audio (UK) (file)
Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t

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
In their articles, journalists sometimes distort the truth.

Synonyms

(to bring something out of shape): deform

Derived terms

distorter

Related terms

distorted (adjective)
distortion

Translations

to bring something out of shape

Arabic: يشوّه‎ (yoshawweh)
Bulgarian: изкривявам (bg) (izkrivjavam), деформирам (bg) (deformiram)
Catalan: deformar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 歪曲 (zh) (wāiqū)
Danish: forvrænge
Dutch: vervormen (nl)
Esperanto: tordi, distordi
Finnish: vääristää (fi), vääntää (fi)
French: déformer (fr), distordre (fr)
Galician: deformar (gl), distorsionar, distorcer
German: verzerren (de)
Greek: παραμορφώνω (el) (paramorfóno), διαστρεβλώνω (el) (diastrevlóno), διαστρέφω (el) (diastréfo)
Hungarian: torzít (hu), eltorzít (hu)
Irish: cuir as a chuma, athchum, cam, fiar
Italian: deformare (it)
Japanese: 歪める (ja) (ゆがめる, yugameru), 曲げる (ja) (まげる, mageru)
Khmer: ធ្វើអោយខុសពីភាពដើម (thvəəʼaoykhohpiiphiəpdaəm)
Latin: distorqueō
Maori: kōrori, kōrorirori, whakariroi, whakarori, whakahawe, whakaparori, whakariroi
Norwegian: forvrenge, fordreie
Old English: tōwrīþan, atolian, unwlitigian, āwemman
Polish: zniekształcać (pl) impf (of objects), zniekształcić (pl) pf (of objects), przesterowywać impf (of sounds), przesterować pf (of sounds)
Portuguese: distorcer (pt), deformar (pt)
Russian: искажа́ть (ru) impf (iskažátʹ), искази́ть (ru) pf (iskazítʹ); искривля́ть (ru) impf (iskrivljátʹ), искриви́ть (ru) pf (iskrivítʹ); изгиба́ть (ru) impf (izgibátʹ), изогну́ть (ru) pf (izognútʹ)
Spanish: deformar (es), distorsionar (es)
Swedish: förvränga (sv)
Walloon: kitoide (wa)

to become misshapen

Finnish: vääristyä (fi), vääntyä (fi)
Galician: deformar (gl)
Hungarian: torzul (hu), eltorzul (hu)
Maori: pakoki
Spanish: deformar (es)

to give false account of

Arabic: please add this translation if you can
Azerbaijani: təhrif etmək
Bulgarian: изопачавам (bg) (izopačavam)
Catalan: tergiversar (ca), distorsionar (ca)
Danish: forvrænge
Dutch: verdraaien (nl), vervalsen (nl)
Esperanto: misprezenti
Finnish: vääristää (fi), vääristellä (fi)
French: déformer (fr)
Galician: terxiversar, distorsionar, distorcer, desvirtuar (gl)
German: verzerren (de)
Greek: διαστρεβλώνω (el) (diastrevlóno)
Hungarian: torzít (hu), csúsztat (hu), eltorzít (hu), elferdít (hu), meghamisít (hu)
Irish: cuir as a ríocht, cuir cor i, cuir casadh i
Italian: distorcere (it)
Japanese: 歪める (ja) (ゆがめる, yugameru)
Khmer: បង្ខូចទ្រង់ទ្រាយ (bɑɑngkhouctrŭəngtriəy)
Korean: please add this translation if you can
Malayalam: വളച്ചൊടിക്കുക (vaḷaccoṭikkuka)
Maori: whakariro, aweke
Norwegian: forvrenge
Polish: wypaczać (pl)
Portuguese: distorcer (pt)
Russian: искажа́ть (ru) impf (iskažátʹ), искази́ть (ru) pf (iskazítʹ); извраща́ть (ru) impf (izvraščátʹ), изврати́ть (ru) pf (izvratítʹ)
Spanish: tergiversar (es), distorsionar (es), desvirtuar (es)
Swedish: förvränga (sv)
Ukrainian: спотворювати impf (spotvorjuvaty), спотворити pf (spotvoryty), викривляти impf (vykryvljaty), викривити pf (vykryvyty)

Adjective

distort (comparative more distort, superlative most distort)

(obsolete) Distorted; misshapen.
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938, stanza 36:
  Her face was ugly and her mouth distort.