twist

TWIST/twɪst/

Noun pluraltwists

36 meanings of twist

1
verbtransitive
To turn the two ends of something like rope or thread in opposite directions.
Twist the ends of the rope in opposite directions to make it tighter.
He twisted the wet towel hard to squeeze the water out.
Similartorque
Oppositeuntwist
2
verbtransitive
To hurt a part of your body, like an ankle, by bending it the wrong way.
Be careful not to twist your ankle on the rocky path.
He twisted his knee playing soccer last weekend.
Similarsprain, wrench, strain, turn
Note
3
nouncountable
A surprise in a story that changes what you expected to happen.
Like a road that suddenly turns when you thought it went straight ahead.
The movie has a big twist at the end.
Nobody in our book club guessed the twist before the last chapter.
Similarsurprise, turn, reversal, revelation, development
Note
4
nouncountable
Something that is wound around itself, or the act of winding it.
She tied her hair into a loose twist.
Give the dough a quick twist before you put it in the oven.
Similarcoil, spiral, curl, twirl, turn
5
nouncountable
A sharp bend in a road or path.
Slow down before the twist in the road ahead.
The trail has a sharp twist just before it reaches the river.
Similarbend, turn, curve, kink, zigzag
Note
6
verbtransitive
To turn something, like a knob or a cap, with your hand.
Twist the cap to open the bottle.
She twisted the volume knob all the way up.
Similarturn, rotate, screw
7
verbtransitive
To make something spin or turn in circles.
Twist the top and watch it spin across the floor.
She twisted the merry-go-round to get it moving for the kids.
Similarspin, rotate, turn, twirl, roll
8
nouncountable
A turning force, like the one you use to open a jar lid.
It takes a strong twist to open this jar.
The old toy needs a sharp twist of the key to wind it up.
Similarturn, wrench, torque, rotation
9
verbintransitive
To have many bends, or to follow a path with many turns.
The river twists through the green valley.
Mountain roads twist as they climb toward the top.
Similarwind, snake, meander, zigzag, curve
Note
10
verbtransitive
To change someone's words so they mean something different from what the person said.
Like the telephone game, where the message changes a little each time someone repeats it.
Don't twist my words. I never said you were wrong.
He twisted her words and told everyone she had lied.
Similardistort, misrepresent, misquote, warp, garble
Note

11
nouncountable
A small thin piece of lemon peel put in a drink.
The waiter added a twist of lemon to her soda.
He dropped a twist into each glass before serving the drinks.
Note
12
nouncountable
A change that makes words or a text mean something different from what was meant.
His report put a twist on what the mayor really said.
The headline gave the story a twist that confused many readers.
Similardistortion, slant, spin, misrepresentation, perversion
13
nouncountable
An injury you get when you bend a body part, like an ankle, the wrong way.
She got a bad twist in her ankle during the race.
That twist will keep him off the soccer field for weeks.
Similarsprain, wrench, strain
14
verbintransitive
To bend or turn into strange shapes, or to move by turning your body.
The fish twisted on the line, trying to get free.
Dancers twist their bodies into amazing shapes during the show.
Similarwrithe, contort, squirm, buckle, warp
15
nouncountable or uncountable
A strong personal habit of thinking or acting in a certain way.
There is a stubborn twist in her character that nothing can change.
His mind has a playful twist that shows up in all his jokes.
Similarstreak, bent, tendency, inclination, quirk
16
verbtransitive
To join two or more things by winding them around each other.
Twist the two wires together before you tape them.
She twisted the ribbons into one thick cord for the gift.
Similartwine, intertwine, braid, plait, wind
Oppositeuntwist, unravel
17
nouncountable
A spin of the diver's body while in the air during a dive.
Like the spin of an ice skater, but done in the air during a dive.
The diver added a twist to her last jump from the high board.
She did two twists in the air before she hit the water.
Similarrotation, spin, turn
18
nounusually singular
A dance from the 1950s and 1960s where you turn your hips quickly from side to side.
My grandmother taught us how to do the twist at the wedding.
Everyone got up to dance the twist when the old song came on.
Note
19
verbintransitive
To do a dance where you turn your hips quickly from side to side.
We twisted all night at the school dance.
Kids still twist when that old song plays at parties.
Note
20
nouncountable or uncountable
The shape something gets when it is turned and wound around itself.
You can see the twist in the old tree's trunk.
The twist of the rope keeps the strands from coming apart.
Similarspiral, coil, curl, helix
21
noununcountable
The amount of stress in something that has been turned or wound out of shape.
Like the tightness in a rubber band that has been wound up.
There's too much twist in this wire, and it might snap.
Let the rope hang free so the twist can come out.
Similartorsion, strain, tension, torque
22
noununcountable
A kind of thread made by winding two thin strands around each other.
She sewed the button on with strong silk twist.
This twist is thicker than regular thread, so it holds heavy fabric well.
Note
23
nouncountable
A roll of bread or pastry baked in a turning, rope-like shape.
I bought a cinnamon twist to eat with my coffee.
The baker shaped each twist by hand before putting it in the oven.
24
verbtransitive
To wind around something, or to join things by weaving them together.
The vine twisted around the old fence post.
Twist the flowers into a circle to make a crown.
Similarwind, twine, coil, wrap, weave
25
verbtransitive
To make something into a wound or spiral shape.
Twist the paper into a small cone for the popcorn.
She twisted her hair up before the workout.
Similarcoil, wind, curl, roll, twirl
26
nouncountableabbreviationellipsis
Short form of hair twist. Use it when talking about a hairstyle made by winding strands of hair around each other.
She wore her hair in a neat twist for the interview.
He keeps his twist tidy with a little oil each morning.
Note
27
nounslangcountable
A girl or a woman. It is a slang word used in casual, tough-sounding talk.
He showed up at the dance hall with a pretty twist on his arm.
That twist in the red dress says her brother runs the club.
Similardame, broad, doll, chick, gal
Note
28
nouncountable or uncountable
The winding path of the grooves cut inside a gun barrel.
Like the spiral lines on a screw, but on the inside of a tube.
The twist inside the barrel makes the bullet spin.
Old muskets had no twist, so they were much less accurate.
Similarrifling
29
verbintransitive
To take another card from the dealer in a card game like blackjack.
I'll twist. Give me one more card.
He twisted on eighteen and went over twenty-one.
Similarhit
Oppositestick, stand
Note
30
nouncountable
A small roll of tobacco leaves wound into a rope-like shape.
The sailor bit off a chew from his twist of tobacco.
Grandpa kept a twist of tobacco in his shirt pocket.
Similarroll
Note
31
nounobsolete
A small thin branch.
32
noun
Metal made by twisting iron and steel strips and joining them with heat, used for gun barrels.
33
nounobsolete
A drink of gin mixed with brandy.
34
nounarchaic
Hunger, a wish to eat.
Hope you’ve brought good appetites with you, gentlemen. You, Doolan, I know ave, for you’ve always ad a deuce of a twist.
1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis
35
verb
To slowly and quietly work your way into something.
36
verb
To gently get someone to do something.

Practice

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Origin

This word comes from Old English, from a Proto-Germanic word built on a root meaning "two." It is linked to words like twine and betwixt.