Link Centre Dictionary

twist

UK/twɪst/ US/tw̥ɪst/ common slang

verb

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”
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”
Antonyms
3.

turn in the opposite direction

  • “twist a wire”
4.

form into a spiral shape

  • “The cord is all twisted”
Synonyms
Antonyms
5.

form into twists

  • “Twist the bacon around the sausage”
6.

do the twist

7.

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”
  • “;”
Synonyms
9.

twist suddenly so as to sprain

  • “wrench one”
  • “;”
  • “;”
  • “;”
  • “t walk for several days”

noun

1.

an unforeseen development

  • “events suddenly took an awkward turn”
2.

an interpretation of a text or action

  • “they put an unsympathetic construction on his conduct”
Synonyms
3.

any clever (deceptive) maneuver

  • “he would stoop to any device to win a point”
4.

the act of rotating rapidly

  • “he gave the crank a spin”
  • “it broke off after much twisting”
5.

a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments

  • “the wrench to his knee occurred as he fell”
  • “he was sidelined with a hamstring pull”
Synonyms
6.

a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight

Synonyms
7.

a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself

Synonyms
8.
10.

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”
11.

the act of winding or twisting

  • “he put the key in the old clock and gave it a good wind”
Synonyms
12.

turning or twisting around (in place)

  • “with a quick twist of his head he surveyed the room”
Synonyms

Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English twist, from Old English *twist, in compounds (e.g. mæsttwist (“a rope; stay”), candeltwist (“a wick”)), from Proto-Germanic *twistaz, a derivative of *twi- (“two-”) (compare also twine, between, betwixt). Related to Saterland Frisian Twist (“discord”), Dutch twist (“twist; strife; discord”), German Low German Twist (“strife; discord”), German Zwist (“turmoil; strife; discord”), Swedish tvist (“quarrel; dispute”), Icelandic tvistur (“deuce”). The verb is from Middle English twisten. Compare Dutch twisten, Danish tviste (“to dispute”), Swedish tvista (“to argue; dispute”).

Phrases

  • barley twist terms derived from the noun and verb "twist"
  • flat twist terms derived from the noun and verb "twist"
  • French twist terms derived from the noun and verb "twist"
  • gain twist terms derived from the noun and verb "twist"
  • gaining twist terms derived from the noun and verb "twist"
  • get it twisted terms derived from the noun and verb "twist"
  • get one's knickers in a twist terms derived from the noun and verb "twist"
  • Mason twist terms derived from the noun and verb "twist"

Related words

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.