distort

v.

1. To change by pressure

   warp, crush, twist; see bend 1.

2. To alter the meaning

   pervert, misrepresent, misconstrue, twist; see deceive, lie 1.

3. To change shape

   contort, sag, twist, slump, knot, get out of shape, buckle, writhe, melt, warp, decline, deteriorate, deform, wrench, collapse, become misshapen, misshape, deviate from the standard form, deviate from the normal form; see also change 4.

distort implies a twisting or wrenching out of the normal or proper shape or form a mind distorted by fear; deform implies a marring of form, appearance, or character, as if by pressure or stress lengthy descriptions that deform the novel; contort suggests an even more violent wrenching out of shape so as to produce a grotesque or unpleasant result a face contorted by pain; warp implies a bending out of shape, as of wood in drying, and, hence, suggests a turning aside from the true or right course judgment warped by prejudice