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

Transportation officials, in announcing last week that Daniel Carter Beard would not open in full until March, said the fire deformed some of the highway's steel beams, detaching them from the concrete deck above. —Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 3 Dec. 2024

Enright’s portrait of the mother is terrific — entitled, manipulative, addled, forlorn — as is her characterisation of each of the siblings whose personalities are formed, or deformed, in their mother’s shadow. —Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024

The fire left several steel beams deformed, detaching them from the concrete bridge deck. —Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 27 Nov. 2024

On a molecular level, sarcomeres—proteins that aid contraction—were shorter and disordered after space exposure, and cells’ mitochondria, responsible for energy production, had become deformed. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Sep. 2024

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

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