Twist

How to spell twist

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce twist

What does twist mean?

1. verbTo turn, bend, or wind something around itself or another object.
2. nounAn unexpected change in a situation or story, or a bend or coil in something.

Twist in a sentence

• verb

  She had to twist the lid hard to open the jar.

• noun

  The film ended with a clever twist that nobody saw coming.

• verb

  Try not to twist your ankle on the uneven path.

• noun

  There is a sharp twist in the road just past the bridge.

Where does twist come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Twist comes from Old English, where related forms tied to the idea of something doubled or wound together survive in words like 'twine' and 'between'. The underlying Germanic root carried the sense of 'two' and of bringing two strands together, which is why early uses described a thread made by winding two fibres around each other. Over time the meaning broadened from the spun thread to the act of turning, wringing, or coiling anything at all. By the 1500s 'twist' was widely used as a verb for turning forcibly, and the figurative sense of an unexpected change of direction in a story or situation grew naturally from that physical picture. The spelling has stayed remarkably stable because the cluster -wist follows ordinary English patterns, making it one of the rare everyday words with no hidden trap.

How the word is built

• twist (single Germanic root meaning to turn or wind; no prefix or suffix)