Writhe

Definition of Writhe

v. t.1.
[imp. Writhed ; p. p. Writhed, Obs. or Poetic Writhen ( ); p. pr. & vb. n. Writhing.]
1.To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring.
Then Satan first knew pain,
And writhed him to and fro.
- Milton.
Her mouth she writhed, her forehead taught to frown.
- Dryden.
His battle-writhen arms, and mighty hands.
- Tennyson.
2.To wrest; to distort; to pervert.
The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed.
- Hooker.
3.To extort; to wring; to wrest.
The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in writhing money from them by every species of oppression.
- Sir W. Scott.
v. i.1.To twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe with agony. Also used figuratively.
After every attempt, he felt that he had failed, and writhed with shame and vexation.
- Macaulay.

Related Words

ache, agonize, ail, anguish, bend, blanch, bleed, blench, buckle, contort, crook, crumple, distort, feel pain, feel the pangs, fidget, flinch, flip out, flutter, freak out on, get high on, glow, gnarl, go hard with, go pitapat, grimace, have a misery, have the fidgets, have the shakes, heave, hurt, jerk, knot, palpitate, pant, pound, quake, quaver, quiver, recoil, screw, shake, shiver, shoot, shrink, smart, spring, squiggle, squirm, suffer, suffer anguish, swell, swell with emotion, thrash, thrill, thrill to, throb, tingle, tingle with excitement, toss, toss and turn, tremble, tumble, turn, turn awry, turn on to, twinge, twist and turn, twitch, twitter, wag, waggle, warp, wiggle, wince, worm, wrench, wrest, wriggle, wring
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Writ of Ayle
Writ of consultation
Writ of detinue
Writ of entry
Writ of error
Writ of inquiry
Writ of possession
Writ of privilege
Writ of prohibition
Writ of protection
Writ of recaption
Writ of tresayle
Writability
Writable
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Write
Writer
Writer of the tallies
Writer to the signet
Writership
-Writhe-
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Writing
Writing book
Writing desk
Writing lark
Writing machine
Writing master
Writing obligatory
Writing paper
Writing school
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Written
Written laws
Wrizzle
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Wrongdoer
Wrongdoing
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