Nearby Words

distort

[dih-stawrt] Example Sentences Origin

dis·tort

[dih-stawrt]
verb (used with object)
1.
to twist awry or out of shape; make crooked or deformed: Arthritis had distorted his fingers.
2.
to give a false, perverted, or disproportionate meaning to; misrepresent: to distort the facts.
3.
Electronics. to reproduce or amplify (a signal) inaccurately by changing the frequencies or unequally changing the delay or amplitude of the components of the output wave.

Origin:
1580–90; < Latin distortus (past participle of distorquēre to distort), equivalent to dis- dis-1 + tor(qu)- (stem of torquēre to twist) + -tus past participle suffix

dis·tort·er, noun
dis·tor·tive, adjective
non·dis·tort·ing, adjective
non·dis·tort·ing·ly, adverb
non·dis·tor·tive, adjective
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o·ver·dis·tort, verb (used with object)
un·dis·tort·ing, adjective
COLLAPSE


2. pervert, misconstrue, twist, falsify, misstate. See misrepresent.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Distort is a GRE word you need to know.
So is dissertation. Does it mean:
debating or controversy
thesis written by a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Example Sentences
  • The writers of nature films and wildlife documentaries are so seriously afflicted in this way they distort science.
  • Each dream distorts your reality differently.
  • But, don't let fond childhood memories distort your financial sense.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
distort (dɪˈstɔːt)
 
vb
1.  (often passive) to twist or pull out of shape; make bent or misshapen; contort; deform
2.  to alter or misrepresent (facts, motives, etc)
3.  electronics to reproduce or amplify (a signal) inaccurately, changing the shape of the waveform
 
[C16: from Latin distortus misshapen, from distorquēre to turn different ways, from dis-1 + torquēre to twist]
 
dis'torted
 
adj
 
dis'tortedly
 
adv
 
dis'tortedness
 
n
 
dis'torter
 
n
 
dis'tortive
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

distort
1580s, from L. distortus, pp. of distorquere "to twist different ways, distort," from dis- "completely" + torquere "to twist" (see thwart). Related: Distorted; distorting.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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