use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

twist (twĭst)
Share:
v. twist·ed, twist·ing, twists
v.tr.
1.
a. To wind together (two or more threads, for example) so as to produce a single strand.
b. To form in this manner: twist a length of rope from strands of hemp.
2. To wind or coil (vines or rope, for example) about something.
3. To interlock or interlace: twist flowers in one's hair.
4. To make (one's way) in a tortuous manner: twisted my way through the briar patch.
5. To cause to rotate or turn in another direction: twisted their heads around at the sound of the doorbell.
6. To impart a spiral or coiling shape to, as by turning the ends in opposite directions: twisting wire into a loop.
7.
a. To turn or open by turning: twisted off the bottle cap.
b. To pull, break, or snap by turning: twist off a dead branch.
8. To wrench or sprain: twist one's wrist.
9. To alter the normal aspect of; contort: twist one's mouth into a wry smile.
10. To alter or distort the intended meaning of: The cross-examiner twisted the words of the witness. See Synonyms at distort.
11. To alter or distort the mental, moral, or emotional character of: The trauma twisted the child's outlook.
v.intr.
1. To be or become twisted.
2. To move or progress in a winding course; meander: The river twisted toward the sea.
3. To squirm; writhe: twist with pain.
4. To rotate or turn in another direction: The owl's head twisted around toward me.
5. To dance the twist.
n.
1. Something twisted or formed by twisting, especially:
a. A length of yarn, cord, or thread, especially a strong silk thread used mainly to bind the edges of buttonholes.
b. Tobacco leaves processed into the form of a rope or roll.
c. A loaf of bread or other bakery product made from pieces of dough twisted together.
d. A sliver of citrus peel twisted over or dropped into a beverage for flavoring.
2. A spin, twirl, or rotation.
3. Sports
a. A complete rotation of the body around its vertical axis, as in diving and gymnastics.
b. A spinning motion given to a ball when thrown or struck in a specific way.
4.
a. The state of being twisted into a spiral; torsional stress or strain.
b. The degree or angle of torsional stress.
5.
a. A contortion or distortion of the body, especially the face.
b. A distortion of meaning: gave my words a misleading twist.
6. A sprain or wrench, as of an ankle.
7. A change in direction; a turn: a sharp twist in the path.
8. An unexpected change in a process or a departure from a pattern, often producing a distortion or perversion: a twist of fate; a story with a quirky twist.
9. A personal inclination or eccentricity; a penchant or flaw: an odd twist to his character.
10. A dance characterized by vigorous gyrations of the hips and arms.
Phrasal Verb:
twist off
To remove by twisting.
Idioms:
leave to twist/leave twisting in the wind
To abandon (someone) to a bad situation, often as a recipient of blame: "If our envoy was so blameless, why had she been left to twist in the wind?" (William Safire).
twist (someone's) arm Slang
To pressure or coerce: If you twist my arm, I'll stay for a second beer.

[Middle English twisten, to squeeze, be divided, from twist, a divided object, fork, rope, from Old English -twist; see dwo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

twista·bili·ty n.
twista·ble adj.
twisting·ly adv.
twisty adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.