deform

verb

de·​form di-ˈfȯrm 

dē-

deformed; deforming; deforms

transitive verb

1

: to spoil the form of

2

a

: to spoil the looks of : disfigure

a face deformed by bitterness

b

: to mar the character of

a marriage deformed by jealousy

3

: to alter the shape of by stress

intransitive verb

: to become misshapen or changed in shape

deformable

di-ˈfȯr-mə-bəl 

dē-

adjective

Synonyms

• contort
• distort
• misshape
• screw
• squinch
• torture
• warp

Choose the Right Synonym for deform

deform, distort, contort, warp means to mar or spoil by or as if by twisting.

deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or accident of growth.

a face deformed by hatred

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

warp indicates an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane.

warped floorboards

Examples of deform in a Sentence

The disease eventually deforms the bones.

The disease eventually causes the bones to deform.

Recent Examples on the Web

New traction and stability programming first needed to cope with the tires deforming significantly under hard acceleration and sending sensors haywire. —Michael Teo Van Runkle, ArsTechnica, 17 June 2025

And so the news that comes out of his administration is deformed as well. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 May 2025

And a vision of Maman lost, deformed, reformed, disappeared, reappeared in the clouds—in repressed, compressed, thinning, regathering clouds of torment. —Hélène Bessette, Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025

What if the other side was deformed or even missing? —Jim Carmichel, Outdoor Life, 5 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French desfurmer, from Latin deformare, from de- + formare to form, from forma form

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for deform

• brainstorm
• conform
• firestorm
• hailstorm
• inform
• landform
• lukewarm
• perform
• planform
• platform
• preform
• rainstorm

Kids Definition

deform

verb

de·​form di-ˈfȯ(ə)rm 

ˈdē-

: to make or become misshapen or changed in shape

deformation

ˌdē-ˌfȯr-ˈmā-shən

ˌdef-ər-

noun