# distort

Pronunciation: US say "di-STORT" /dɪˈstoɹt/; say "di-STAWT" UK /dɪˈstɔːt/, AUS /dɪˈstoːt/

## Verb

1. To force or bend something out of its normal shape, making it misshapen.
   - Simple: To pull, push, or twist something out of its normal shape.
   - _Strong magnets can distort the image on an old television screen._
   - _The fire distorted the metal railings beyond recognition._
2. To give a false or misleading account of something; to misrepresent it.
   - Simple: To change facts or words so they give a wrong idea.
   - _Critics accused the documentary of distorting the historical record._
   - _Selective editing can distort the meaning of an entire interview._
3. To become misshapen, losing the original form.
   - Simple: To slowly lose its proper shape and become bent or twisted.
   - _Cheap plastic tends to distort when exposed to high heat._
   - _The photograph had distorted where moisture seeped into the frame._

## Adjective

4. Twisted out of shape; misshapen. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Twisted or bent out of its normal shape.
   - _The fevered man saw distort figures looming in the candlelight._
   - _Age had left the carving cracked and distort._

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin distortum, the past participle of distorqueō, meaning "to twist, torture, or distort."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/distort (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).