dis ‧ tort AC /dɪˈstɔːt $ -ɔːrt/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ distort ; noun : ↑ distortion ; adjective : ↑ distorted ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: distortus , past participle of distorquere 'to twist out of shape' ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to change the appearance, sound, or shape of something so that it is strange or unclear:
Tall buildings can distort radio signals.
2 . [transitive] to report something in a way that is not completely true or correct:
His account was badly distorted by the press.
3 . [transitive] to change a situation from the way it would naturally be:
an expensive subsidy which distorts the market
—distorted adjective :
His face was distorted in anger.
—distortion /dɪˈstɔːʃ ə n $ -ɔːr-/ noun [uncountable and countable] :
a gross distortion of the facts
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to change something in order to deceive people
▪ distort to explain facts, statements etc in a way that makes them seem different from what they really are:
The judge said that she had deliberately tried to distort the facts.
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Don’t try to distort the truth.
▪ twist to dishonestly change the meaning of a piece of information or of something that someone has said, in order to get an advantage for yourself or to support your own opinion:
He accused reporters of twisting his words.
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In her article she twisted the meaning of what I said.
▪ misrepresent to give people a wrong idea about someone or their opinions, by what you write or say:
I hope I have not misrepresented her opinion.
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He’s taking legal action to stop the film, claiming it grossly misrepresents him.