twist
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.to turn something around or to wind two things together.
v.to rotate an object around its axis or to entwine multiple strands into a single cord.
Simple“You need to twist the cap to open the bottle of soda.”
In context“The artisan carefully twisted the copper wires together to create a sturdy base for the sculpture.”
UsageOften used with 'together' when joining two items.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to hurt a part of your body by turning it the wrong way suddenly.
v.to injure a joint or ligament by a sudden, forceful rotation.
Simple“I twisted my ankle while I was running in the park yesterday.”
In context“He twisted his knee during the final minutes of the match, forcing the coach to call for a substitution.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to change what someone said to make it mean something different.
v.to distort or misinterpret a statement or fact, often to suit one's own purposes.
Simple“Don't twist my words; I never said I wanted to quit the job.”
In context“The politician was accused of twisting the statistics to make the economic situation appear better than it actually was.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.an unexpected change in a story or situation.
n.an unexpected development or turn of events in a narrative or situation.
Simple“The movie has a big twist at the end that nobody expected.”
In context“The novel's final twist recontextualises the entire plot, revealing that the narrator had been lying from the start.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
n.a curve or turn in a road or path.
n.a physical bend or curve in a linear object or route.
Simple“The road has many twists and turns as it goes up the mountain.”
In context“The path followed the twists of the river, leading the hikers through a series of narrow canyons.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
n.an old-fashioned and informal word for a girl or woman.
n.a slang term for a woman or girl, now largely obsolete or restricted to specific dialects.
Simple“In the old movie, the character referred to his girlfriend as a 'pretty twist'.”
In context“The author used period-accurate slang, having the protagonist describe the mysterious newcomer as a 'sharp-looking twist'.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is archaic and mostly found in mid-20th-century literature or film noir; learners should avoid using it in modern conversation.
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.