Twist vs. Turn — What's the Difference?

To wind together (two or more threads, for example) so as to produce a single strand.

To cause to move around an axis or center; cause to rotate or revolve

To form in this manner

To cause to move around in order to achieve a result, such as opening, closing, tightening, or loosening

To wind or coil (vines or rope, for example) about something.

To alter or control the functioning of (a mechanical device, for example) by the use of a rotating or similar movement

To interlock or interlace

To perform or accomplish by rotating or revolving

To make (one's way) in a tortuous manner

To change the position of so that the underside becomes the upper side

To cause to rotate or turn in another direction

To spade or plow (soil) to bring the undersoil to the surface.

To impart a spiral or coiling shape to, as by turning the ends in opposite directions

To reverse and resew the material of (a collar, for example).

To turn or open by turning

To revolve in the mind; meditate on; ponder

To pull, break, or snap by turning

To give a rounded form to (wood, for example) by rotating against a cutting tool.

To wrench or sprain

To give a rounded shape to (clay, for example) by rotating and shaping with the hands or tools.

To alter the normal aspect of; contort

To give a rounded form to

To alter or distort the intended meaning of

To give distinctive, artistic, or graceful form to

To alter or distort the mental, moral, or emotional character of

To change the position of by traversing an arc of a circle; pivot

To be or become twisted.

To present in a specified direction by rotating or pivoting

To move or progress in a winding course; meander

To cause (a scale) to move up or down so as to register weight

To squirm; writhe

To fold, bend, or twist (something).

To rotate or turn in another direction

To change the position or disposition of by folding, bending, or twisting

To dance the twist.

To make a bend or curve in

A length of yarn, cord, or thread, especially a strong silk thread used mainly to bind the edges of buttonholes.

To blunt or dull (the edge of a cutting instrument).

Tobacco leaves processed into the form of a rope or roll.

To injure by twisting

A loaf of bread or other bakery product made from pieces of dough twisted together.

To upset or make nauseated

A sliver of citrus peel twisted over or dropped into a beverage for flavoring.

To change the direction or course of

A spin, twirl, or rotation.

To divert or deflect

A complete rotation of the body around its vertical axis, as in diving and gymnastics.

To reverse the course of; cause to retreat

A spinning motion given to a ball when thrown or struck in a specific way.

To make a course around or about

The state of being twisted into a spiral; torsional stress or strain.

To reach and pass (a specified age)

The degree or angle of torsional stress.

To change the purpose, intention, or content of by persuasion or influence

A contortion or distortion of the body, especially the face.

To change the order or disposition of; unsettle

A distortion of meaning

To aim or focus

A sprain or wrench, as of an ankle.

To devote or apply (oneself, for example) to something

A change in direction; a turn

To cause to act or go against; make antagonistic

An unexpected change in a process or a departure from a pattern, often producing a distortion or perversion

To cause to go in a specific direction; direct

A personal inclination or eccentricity; a penchant or flaw

To send, drive, or let go

A dance characterized by vigorous gyrations of the hips and arms.

To pour, let fall, or otherwise release (contents) from or into a receptacle

A twisting force.

To cause to take on a specified character, nature, identity, or appearance; change or transform. Used with to or into

Anything twisted, or the act of twisting.

To affect or change the color of

The form given in twisting.

To make sour; ferment

The degree of stress or strain when twisted.

To exchange; convert. Used with to or into

A type of thread made from two filaments twisted together.

To keep in circulation; sell and restock

A sliver of lemon peel added to a cocktail, etc.

To make use of

A sudden bend (or short series of bends) in a road, path, etc.

To get by buying and selling

A distortion to the meaning of a word or passage.

To perform successfully; complete

An unexpected turn in a story, tale, etc.

(Slang) To perform (an act of prostitution)

(preceded by definite article) A type of dance characterised by rotating one’s hips. See Twist (dance) on Wikipedia for more details.

To move around an axis or center; rotate or revolve.

A rotation of the body when diving.

To have a sensation of revolving or whirling, especially as a result of dizziness or giddiness

A sprain, especially to the ankle.

To change position from side to side or back and forth

(obsolete) A twig.

To progress through pages so as to arrive at a given place

(slang) A girl, a woman.

To operate a lathe.

A roll or baton of baked dough or pastry in a twisted shape.

To be formed on a lathe

A small roll of tobacco.

To direct one's way or course

A material for gun barrels, consisting of iron and steel twisted and welded together.

To change or reverse one's way, course, or direction

The spiral course of the rifling of a gun barrel or a cannon.

To change one's actions or attitudes adversely; become hostile or antagonistic

A beverage made of brandy and gin.

To attack suddenly and violently with no apparent motive

A strong individual tendency or bent; inclination.

To channel one's attention, interest, or thought toward or away from something

An appetite for food.

To devote or apply oneself to something, as to a field of study

To turn the ends of something, usually thread, rope etc., in opposite directions, often using force.

To convert to a religion.

To join together by twining one part around another.

To switch one's loyalty from one side or party to another.

To contort; to writhe; to complicate; to crook spirally; to convolve.

To have recourse to a person or thing for help, support, or information

To wreathe; to wind; to encircle; to unite by intertexture of parts.

To start to use (something) as a solution to a problem or relief of distress

(reflexive) To wind into; to insinuate.

To depend on something for success or failure; hinge

To turn a knob etc.

To change so as to be; become

To distort or change the truth or meaning of words when repeating.

To change; become transformed. Used with to or into

To form a twist (in any of the above noun meanings).

To change color

To injure (a body part) by bending it in the wrong direction.

To become sour

To wind; to follow a bendy or wavy course; to have many bends.

To be stocked and sold

(transitive) To cause to rotate.

To become dull or blunt by bending back. Used of the edge of a cutting instrument.

(intransitive) To dance the twist (a type of dance characterised by twisting one's hips).

The act of turning or the condition of being turned; rotation or revolution.

(transitive) To coax.

A change of direction, motion, or position

(card games) In the game of blackjack (pontoon or twenty-one), to be dealt another card.

A place, as in a road or path, where a change in direction occurs; a curve

To contort; to writhe; to complicate; to crook spirally; to convolve.

A change or deviation, as in a trend

Hence, to turn from the true form or meaning; to pervert; as, to twist a passage cited from an author.

A change or development in a particular way

To distort, as a solid body, by turning one part relatively to another about an axis passing through both; to subject to torsion; as, to twist a shaft.

A variation of a given kind or type

To wreathe; to wind; to encircle; to unite by intertexture of parts.

A point marking the end of one period of time and the beginning of the next

To wind into; to insinuate; - used reflexively; as, avarice twists itself into all human concerns.

The midway point in a round of 18 holes of golf, at which the first set of nine holes has been completed.

To unite by winding one thread, strand, or other flexible substance, round another; to form by convolution, or winding separate things round each other; as, to twist yarn or thread.

A period of participation

Hence, to form as if by winding one part around another; to wreathe; to make up.

A chance or opportunity

To form into a thread from many fine filaments; as, to twist wool or cotton.

One of a series of such opportunities accorded people in succession or in scheduled order

To be contorted; to writhe; to be distorted by torsion; to be united by winding round each other; to be or become twisted; as, some strands will twist more easily than others.

An attack of illness or severe nervousness.

To follow a helical or spiral course; to be in the form of a helix.

A momentary shock or scare

The act of twisting; a contortion; a flexure; a convolution; a bending.

A characteristic mood, style, or habit; a natural inclination

The form given in twisting.

A distinctive, graceful, or artistic expression or arrangement of words

That which is formed by twisting, convoluting, or uniting parts.

A deed or action having a good or bad effect on another

A cord, thread, or anything flexible, formed by winding strands or separate things round each other.

A short walk or excursion out and back

A twig.

A single wind or convolution, as of wire on a spool.

A kind of closely twisted, strong sewing silk, used by tailors, saddlers, and the like.

(Music) A figure or ornament, usually consisting of four or more notes in rapid succession and including the principal note, the one a degree above it, and the one a degree below it.

Act of imparting a turning or twisting motion, as to a pitched ball; also, the motion thus imparted; as, the twist of a billiard ball.

A brief theatrical act or stage appearance.

A kind of cotton yarn, of several varieties.

A transaction on the stock market involving both a sale and a purchase.

A strong individual tendency, or bent; a marked inclination; a bias; - often implying a peculiar or unusual tendency; as, a twist toward fanaticism.

The fourth community card in Texas hold'em.

A roll of twisted dough, baked.

Upper Southern & South Atlantic US An amount that can be carried or transported in one load

A little twisted roll of tobacco.

To make a non-linear physical movement.

One of the threads of a warp, - usually more tightly twisted than the filling.

(intransitive) Of a body, person, etc, to move around an axis through itself.

A material for gun barrels, consisting of iron and steel twisted and welded together; as, Damascus twist.

(transitive) To change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation.

The spiral course of the rifling of a gun barrel or a cannon.

(intransitive) To change one's direction of travel.

A beverage made of brandy and gin.

(transitive) To shape (something) symmetrically by rotating it against a stationary cutting tool, as on a lathe.

An unforeseen development;

(by extension) To give form to; to shape or mould; to adapt.

An interpretation of a text or action;

(transitive) To position (something) by folding it, or using its folds.

Any clever (deceptive) maneuver;

To navigate through a book or other printed material.

The act of rotating rapidly;

Of a bowler, to make (the ball) move sideways off the pitch when it bounces.

A sharp strain on muscles or ligaments;

Of a ball, to move sideways off the pitch when it bounces.

A sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight

(intransitive) To change condition or attitude.

A miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself

(copulative) To become begin to be.

A jerky pulling movement

(intransitive) To change the color of the leaves in the autumn.

A hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair

To change fundamentally; to metamorphose.

Social dancing in which couples vigorously twist their hips and arms in time to the music; was popular in the 1960s;

To reach a certain age.

The act of winding or twisting;

To hinge; to depend.

Turning or twisting around (in place);

To rebel; to go against something formerly tolerated.

To move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling);

To change personal condition.

Cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form;

To change one's course of action; to take a new approach.

Turn in the opposite direction;

To complete.

Form into a spiral shape;

(transitive) To make (money); turn a profit.

Form into twists;

Of a player, to go past an opposition player with the ball in one's control.

Do the twist

To undergo the process of turning on a lathe.

Twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates;

(obstetrics) To bring down the feet of a child in the womb, in order to facilitate delivery.

Practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive

To invert a type of the same thickness, as a temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted.

Twist suddenly so as to sprain;

(archaic) To translate.

To magically or divinely attack undead.

A change of direction or orientation.

A movement of an object about its own axis in one direction that continues until the object returns to its initial orientation.

(geometry) A unit of plane angle measurement based on this movement.

A walk to and fro.

A chance to use (something) shared in sequence with others.

A spell of work, especially the time allotted to a person in a rota or schedule.

One's chance to make a move in a game having two or more players.

A figure in music, often denoted ~, consisting of the note above the one indicated, the note itself, the note below the one indicated, and the note itself again.

The time required to complete a project.

A fit or a period of giddiness.

A change in temperament or circumstance.

(cricket) A sideways movement of the ball when it bounces (caused by rotation in flight).

(poker) The fourth communal card in Texas hold 'em.

The flop (the first three community cards) in Texas hold 'em.

A deed done to another; an act of kindness or malice.

A single loop of a coil.

(rope) A pass behind or through an object.

Character; personality; nature.

(soccer) An instance of going past an opposition player with the ball in one's control.

A short skit, act, or routine.

A type turned upside down to serve for another character that is not available.

The profit made by a stockjobber, being the difference between the buying and selling prices.

To cause to move upon a center, or as if upon a center; to give circular motion to; to cause to revolve; to cause to move round, either partially, wholly, or repeatedly; to make to change position so as to present other sides in given directions; to make to face otherwise; as, to turn a wheel or a spindle; to turn the body or the head.

To cause to present a different side uppermost or outmost; to make the upper side the lower, or the inside to be the outside of; to reverse the position of; as, to turn a box or a board; to turn a coat.

To give another direction, tendency, or inclination to; to direct otherwise; to deflect; to incline differently; - used both literally and figuratively; as, to turn the eyes to the heavens; to turn a horse from the road, or a ship from her course; to turn the attention to or from something.

To change from a given use or office; to divert, as to another purpose or end; to transfer; to use or employ; to apply; to devote.

To change the form, quality, aspect, or effect of; to alter; to metamorphose; to convert; to transform; - often with to or into before the word denoting the effect or product of the change; as, to turn a worm into a winged insect; to turn green to blue; to turn prose into verse; to turn a Whig to a Tory, or a Hindu to a Christian; to turn good to evil, and the like.

To form in a lathe; to shape or fashion (anything) by applying a cutting tool to it while revolving; as, to turn the legs of stools or tables; to turn ivory or metal.

Hence, to give form to; to shape; to mold; to put in proper condition; to adapt.

To translate; to construe; as, to turn the Iliad.

To make acid or sour; to ferment; to curdle, etc.: as, to turn cider or wine; electricity turns milk quickly.

To make a turn about or around (something); to go or pass around by turning; as, to turn a corner.

To sicken; to nauseate; as, an emetic turns one's stomach.

To move round; to have a circular motion; to revolve entirely, repeatedly, or partially; to change position, so as to face differently; to whirl or wheel round; as, a wheel turns on its axis; a spindle turns on a pivot; a man turns on his heel.

Hence, to revolve as if upon a point of support; to hinge; to depend; as, the decision turns on a single fact.

To result or terminate; to come about; to eventuate; to issue.

To be deflected; to take a different direction or tendency; to be directed otherwise; to be differently applied; to be transferred; as, to turn from the road.

To be changed, altered, or transformed; to become transmuted; also, to become by a change or changes; to grow; as, wood turns to stone; water turns to ice; one color turns to another; to turn Muslim.

To undergo the process of turning on a lathe; as, ivory turns well.

To become acid; to sour; - said of milk, ale, etc.

To become giddy; - said of the head or brain.

To invert a type of the same thickness, as temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted.

To be nauseated; - said of the stomach.

To become inclined in the other direction; - said of scales.

To change from ebb to flow, or from flow to ebb; - said of the tide.

To bring down the feet of a child in the womb, in order to facilitate delivery.

The act of turning; movement or motion about, or as if about, a center or axis; revolution; as, the turn of a wheel.

Change of direction, course, or tendency; different order, position, or aspect of affairs; alteration; vicissitude; as, the turn of the tide.

One of the successive portions of a course, or of a series of occurrences, reckoning from change to change; hence, a winding; a bend; a meander.

A circuitous walk, or a walk to and fro, ending where it began; a short walk; a stroll.

Successive course; opportunity enjoyed by alternation with another or with others, or in due order; due chance; alternate or incidental occasion; appropriate time.

Incidental or opportune deed or office; occasional act of kindness or malice; as, to do one an ill turn.

Convenience; occasion; purpose; exigence; as, this will not serve his turn.

Form; cast; shape; manner; fashion; - used in a literal or figurative sense; hence, form of expression; mode of signifying; as, the turn of thought; a man of a sprightly turn in conversation.

A change of condition; especially, a sudden or recurring symptom of illness, as a nervous shock, or fainting spell; as, a bad turn.

A fall off the ladder at the gallows; a hanging; - so called from the practice of causing the criminal to stand on a ladder which was turned over, so throwing him off, when the signal was given.

A round of a rope or cord in order to secure it, as about a pin or a cleat.

A pit sunk in some part of a drift.

A court of record, held by the sheriff twice a year in every hundred within his county.

Monthly courses; menses.

An embellishment or grace (marked thus, ), commonly consisting of the principal note, or that on which the turn is made, with the note above, and the semitone below, the note above being sounded first, the principal note next, and the semitone below last, the three being performed quickly, as a triplet preceding the marked note. The turn may be inverted so as to begin with the lower note, in which case the sign is either placed on end thus , or drawn thus .

A circular segment of a curve;

The act of changing or reversing the direction of the course;

The activity of doing something in an agreed succession;

An unforeseen development;

A movement in a new direction;

Turning away or in the opposite direction;

Turning or twisting around (in place);

A time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else);

(sports) a period of play during which one team is on the offensive

A short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program;

A favor for someone;

Taking a short walk out and back;

Change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense;

Undergo a change or development;

Undergo a transformation or a change of position or action;

Cause to move around or rotate;

Pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become;

To send or let go;

Pass to the other side of;

Move around an axis or a center;

Cause to move around a center so as to show another side of;

Change to the contrary;

To break and turn over earth especially with a plow;

Change color;

Cause to change or turn into something different;assume new characteristics;

Let (something) fall or spill a container;

Twist suddenly so as to sprain;

Shape by rotating on a lathe or cutting device or a wheel;

Go sour or spoil;

Accomplish by rotating;

Get by buying and selling;

Cause to move along an axis or into a new direction;

Channel one's attention, interest, thought, or attention toward or away from something;

Cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form;

Alter the functioning or setting of;

Direct at someone;

Have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or information to;

Become officially one year older;