to twist awry or out of shape; make crooked or deformed:
Arthritis had distorted his fingers.
2.
to give a false, perverted, or disproportionate meaning to; misrepresent:
to distort the facts.
3.
Electronics. to reproduce or amplify (a signal) inaccurately by changing the frequencies or unequally changing the delay or amplitude of the components of the output wave.
Origin
1580-90; < Latindistortus (past participle of distorquēre to distort), equivalent to dis-dis-1 + tor(qu)- (stem of torquēre to twist) + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
distorter, noun
distortive, adjective
nondistorting, adjective
nondistortingly, adverb
nondistortive, adjective
overdistort, verb (used with object)
undistorting, adjective
Synonyms
2. pervert, misconstrue, twist, falsify, misstate. See misrepresent.
Examples from the web for distort
The writers of nature films and wildlife documentaries are so seriously afflicted in this way they distort science.
Each dream distorts your reality differently.
But, don't let fond childhood memories distort your financial sense.
They distort some facts and fabricate the rest.
People distort them, but science will always prevail when it comes to facts.
The water is cold and the lengthening shadows distort its depths.
And the administration is happiest when this does not distort what the department would otherwise be offering.
It infuriates me when people use my moniker and distort my messages.
It may distort the natural flow of commerce, services and transport.
Even when some discretion is allowed, it can distort the choices.
British Dictionary definitions for distort
distort
/dɪˈstɔːt/
verb (transitive)
1.
(often passive) to twist or pull out of shape; make bent or misshapen; contort; deform
2.
to alter or misrepresent (facts, motives, etc)
3.
(electronics) to reproduce or amplify (a signal) inaccurately, changing the shape of the waveform
C16: from Latin distortus misshapen, from distorquēre to turn different ways, from dis-1 + torquēre to twist
Word Origin and History for distort
v.
1580s, from Latin distortus, past participle of distorquere "to twist different ways, distort," from dis- "completely" + torquere "to twist" (see thwart). Related: Distorted; distorting.