twist

CEFRB1

/twɪst/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To turn or bend something into a different shape.

  2. 02

    noun

    A sudden change or unexpected development.

Examples

  • Dickens was the author of 'Oliver Twist'.

  • She gave the lid another twist and it came off.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. Anything twisted, or the act of twisting.

  2. The form given in twisting.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A twisting force.

More examples

In context

  • Twist that knob to the right and the box will open.

  • I'm all agog at the new twist to the royal scandal.

  • I was one morning walking arm in arm with him in St James's Park, his dress then being […] waistcoat and breeches of the same blue satin, trimmed with silver twist à la hussarde, and ermine edges.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Nearby

Origin

verb

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”).