TWISTING

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does twisting mean? 

• TWISTING (noun)
  The noun TWISTING has 2 senses:

1. the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean

2. the act of rotating rapidly

  Familiarity information: TWISTING used as a noun is rare.

• TWISTING (adjective)
  The adjective TWISTING has 1 sense:

1. marked by repeated turns and bends

  Familiarity information: TWISTING used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TWISTING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

distortion; overrefinement; straining; torture; twisting

Hypernyms ("twisting" is a kind of...):

falsification; misrepresentation (a willful perversion of facts)

Derivation:

twist (practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of rotating rapidly

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

spin; twirl; twist; twisting; whirl

Context example:

it broke off after much twisting

Hypernyms ("twisting" is a kind of...):

rotary motion; rotation (the act of rotating as if on an axis)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "twisting"):

pirouette ((ballet) a rapid spin of the body (especially on the toes as in ballet))

birling; logrolling (rotating a log rapidly in the water (as a competitive sport))

• TWISTING (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Marked by repeated turns and bends

Synonyms:

tortuous; twisting; twisty; voluminous; winding

Context example:

had to steer the car down a twisty track

Similar:

crooked (having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned)

 Context examples 

“And then you know”—twisting himself about and forcing a foolish laugh—“I say, then you know, we may try the truth of this same old song.”

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

These contractions result in twisting and repetitive movements.

(Dystonia, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Your digestive system is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube.

(Digestive Diseases, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Twisting of a loop of bowel that results in intestinal obstruction.

(Intestinal Volvulus, NCI Thesaurus)

You usually injure your ACL by a sudden twisting motion.

(Knee Injuries and Disorders, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

You find yourself insensibly twisting them round to fit your theories.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Twisting of the ovary resulting in the cutoff of the blood supply to the ovary.

(Ovarian Torsion, NCI Thesaurus)

Problems with the ovaries include: • Ovarian cancer • Ovarian cysts and polycystic ovary syndrome • Premature ovarian failure • Ovarian torsion, a twisting of the ovary

(Ovarian Disorders, NIH)

“I might have known it,” said Chandos, twisting his moustache, and still looking thoughtfully at the cavalier.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I was at the pains of making ropes and cables, by twisting ten, twenty, or thirty of the thickest and strongest of theirs.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)