/ raɪð; NAmE / verb
[ v ] writhe (about / around) (in / with sth) to twist or move your body without stopping, often because you are in great pain :
She was writhing around on the floor in agony.
The snake writhed and hissed.
( figurative )
He was writhing (= suffering a lot) with embarrassment.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English wrīthan make into coils, plait, fasten with a cord , of Germanic origin; related to wreathe .