warp 1 of 2

noun

ˈwȯrp How to pronounce warp (audio)
Definition of warpnext
as in basis
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests an unshakable belief in the essential goodness of humankind is the warp of his philosophy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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warp

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to distort
to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of the faulty English translation really warps the meaning of the original Russian text

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality claims that violent movies warp the values of our young people

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to deform
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition freezing warped the plastic, and now the cover won't fit

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb warp contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of warp are contort, deform, and distort. While all these words mean "to mar or spoil by or as if by twisting," warp indicates an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane.

warped floorboards

When could deform be used to replace warp?

The synonyms deform and warp are sometimes interchangeable, but deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or accident of growth.

a face deformed by hatred

How do distort and contort relate to one another, in the sense of warp?

Distort and contort both imply a wrenching from the natural or normal, but contort suggests a more involved twisting and a more grotesque and painful result.

the odd camera angle distorts the figure
disease had contorted her body

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of warp
Noun
Labranderas, those who practice labrado, remake the cloth itself, counting and reweaving threads between the warp and the weft to create structure. — Catherine Tansey, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 June 2026 Yet color filters used to signal a warp in reality or an escalation in Max’s behavior feel too on the nose. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 June 2026
Verb
Rohleder configured its machine to make production warps up to 400 meters long. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026 An uneven exposure to heat and moisture can contribute to warping. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for warp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warp
  1. basis
  2. distort
  3. degrade
  4. deform
  5. foundation
  6. misrepresent
  7. deteriorate
  8. screw
Noun
  • Pricing Happy Head’s topical solution is billed on a monthly basis, with a single bottle containing two ounces of treatment solution.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Rice had a side hustle as a vintage dealer and brought in plenty of pieces from the same era, including 1950s sofas by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, a pair of 1970s blue suede armchairs, and benches from France with colorful bases.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of basis
Verb
  • Because of its large field of view, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help researchers better understand dark matter by capturing how the phenomenon's gravity bends light and distorts a galaxy's shape.
    — Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Yiannopoulos resigned from Breitbart amid the backlash and offered a rare apology but said the media distorted his comments.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of distort
Verb
  • Iran is expanding its defense capabilities, an Iranian army commander said Wednesday, after much of the country’s equipment was degraded by US-Israeli strikes in the early days of the war.
    — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The status of its nuclear program, degraded by bombing strikes in 2025, hasn't changed.
    — Susan Page, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • Parts on Repkon machines deformed, leading a worker to discover that they were made with Chinese steel, possibly in violation of federal regulations.
    — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The liquid metal provides an electrical pathway that can deform with the surrounding rubber-like material instead of snapping when the skin bends or stretches.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of deform
Noun
  • The brand built its foundation in rock ‘n’ roll under founding designers Stuart Trevor and Kait Bolongaro in 1994.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Terps football player Zion Elee and his family delivered about 300 backpacks Monday as part of a foundation effort that has distributed roughly 750 across the Baltimore area.
    — Michael Howes, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of foundation
Verb
  • Meta this week agreed to pay almost $17 billion in a landmark settlement with a coalition of state AGs that had sued the company for misrepresenting the extent of child mental health damage caused by Facebook and Instagram.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Bonta, in a statement, accused Paramount of leaking and misrepresenting information the two sides had discussed during a preliminary session Friday.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of misrepresent
Verb
  • Behrouz Mehri | Afp | Getty Images France's deteriorating public finances and political deadlock are becoming a growing concern for bond investors, with borrowing costs near financial-crisis-era highs as another difficult budget battle looms.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Israel has seen its own relations with Turkey deteriorate during Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s more than two-decade rule.
    — Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of deteriorate
Verb
  • My husband recently screwed over his business partner by taking significantly more of the profit for himself.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The screwworm gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
    — Fabiola Sánchez, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of screw

Phrases Containing warp

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warns
warp
war paint
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Cite this Entry

“Warp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warp. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on warp

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about warp

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