4 uses
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Definition
twist or bend to an unnatural shape — something such as the human body, a facial expression, or the truth
- I wondered if my father could hear me moving around, because he seemed to contort himself more tightly into a fetal position and to cover his eyes even more tightly— as if he feared my mother were coming nearer to him.p. 565.8
- And she could respond in that other way that cats can respond, too; she could luxuriate in being touched—she could contort her body quite shamelessly, putting more and more pressure against the toucher's hand, until (I used to imagine) anyone near enough to her could hear her purr.p. 40.1
- And Owen and I would wait until she had turned the L-shaped corner between the tall, dusty shelves at shoulder level—the odd shadows of the jam and jelly jars zigzagging across the cobwebbed ceiling; the higher, more irregular shadows cast by the bigger jars of tomato and sweet-pepper relish, and the brandied plums, were as looming and contorted as volcanic conformations.p. 193.4
- The doors could not be opened—nor could the headmaster be removed from the wreckage; such spasms assailed his lower back that he could not contort himself into the necessary posture to make an exit from the car through the space where the windshield had been.p. 400.4
There are no more uses of "contort" in A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Typical Usage
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