To twist means to turn something by rotating one end while holding the other end still, like wringing water from a wet towel or opening a jar lid. When you twist your body, you rotate your shoulders one way while keeping your hips facing forward.

The word also describes bending or winding something into a curved or spiral shape. A rope might twist around itself, or a path might twist through the woods, curving left and right unexpectedly. Tree branches twist as they grow toward sunlight.

In stories, a twist is a surprising turn of events that changes everything you thought you knew. When a mystery novel reveals that the helpful neighbor was actually the villain all along, that's a plot twist. The best twists make you want to reread the whole story to catch the clues you missed.

You can twist words too, which means changing their meaning in a dishonest way. If your sister complains that you “never help” when you actually helped yesterday, she's twisting the truth. Someone who twists your words might repeat what you said but leave out important parts to make it sound like you meant something completely different.

When something has a twist, it has an unexpected element that makes it more interesting, like lemonade with a twist of lime peel.