From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcontortcon‧tort /kənˈtɔːt $ -ɔːrt/ verb [intransitive, transitive] BENDif you contort something, or if it contorts, it twists out of its normal shape and looks strange or unattractivecontort with/in His face was contorted with rage. His body contorted in agony.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
contort• The faces are horribly contorted as if suffocating or in great pain, and their eyes seem to follow anyone who passes.• He wondered if contorting his neck increased blood flow to his brain somehow.• His face contorted in loose ripples of effort as he stood up energetically to take his leave.• I turn immediately to see her coming toward me, her face contorted in rage.• The trunks often contort into spindly curves and twists.• We continued to contort our limbs into improbable postures when Vincente was directly overseeing us.• Worst of all, his long face was more contorted than ever in the fury of self-pity.• Despite having a solid base, the rod is still contorted wildly beyond belief.contort with/in• The fellow, Tom told me, had contorted in a way Tom had never seen before, even in the dance.• My own life is contorted with conflicting ideas, plans and decisions.• Her face contorted with disgust, decades after the attack, remembering the old white man who raped her.• His face contorted in loose ripples of effort as he stood up energetically to take his leave.• I turn immediately to see her coming toward me, her face contorted in rage.• His face contorted in sheer disgust.Origin contort (1400-1500) Latin past participle of contorquere, from com- ( → COM-) + torquere “to twist” 