/ dɪˈstɔːt; NAmE dɪˈstɔːrt/ verb [ vn ]
1.
to change the shape, appearance or sound of sth so that it is strange or not clear :
a fairground mirror that distorts your shape
The loudspeaker seemed to distort his voice.
2.
to twist or change facts, ideas, etc. so that they are no longer correct or true :
Newspapers are often guilty of distorting the truth.
The article gave a distorted picture of his childhood.
► dis·tort·ion / dɪˈstɔːʃn; NAmE dɪˈstɔːrʃn/ noun [ C , U ]:
modern alloys that are resistant to wear and distortion
a distortion of the facts
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WORD ORIGIN
late 15th cent. (in the sense twist to one side ): from Latin distort- twisted apart, from the verb distorquere , from dis- apart + torquere to twist.