writhes

verb

present tense third-person singular of writhe
1
as in weaves
to cause to twine about one another tends to writhe his fingers together when he's nervous or upset

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in squirms
to make jerky or restless movements writhing in pain from his injuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of writhes The cobra seems angry and writhes and attacks, and the handler holds the snake at bay, looking like a man who has made poor lifestyle choices and therefore deserves whatever is coming courtesy of his snake pal. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026 Reid writhes in front of Zaman, sticking out his tongue in one take, running his hand down his body in another, all while a gigantic technocrane zooms overhead. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 June 2026 The truth risks bringing down the whole edifice, which is why the system writhes to hide who takes decisions large and small. — Azadeh Moaveni, Time, 3 Feb. 2026 The congregation writhes, sometimes in unison, and whirls and stomps; at one point, a line of folks snake through a doorway and into the foreground, as the camera rotates in the opposite direction. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025 So says the priest (Ben Hall) to Sister Agnes (Hayley McFarland), who writhes in a dark room, foaming at the mouth before a gathering of fellow Carmelite nuns. — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhes
  1. weaves
  2. squirms
  3. twists
  4. tosses
  5. twitches
  6. fidgets
  7. jerks
Verb
  • The track weaves together experiences of colonialism, trauma, and resistance, with the innocence of childhood as a backdrop.
    — Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Spain’s Oscar submission weaves Federico García Lorca’s unfinished play into a story that spans generations.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaves
Verb
  • The 420 Sport jostles and squirms on these surfaces at low speeds, but the payoff is unfiltered, no-nonsense feedback.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 July 2026
  • When Brian and Murtagh report that Dougal offended the Grants and Colum had to promise Ellen’s hand to appease the situation, Lord Lovat squirms.
    — Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of squirms
Verb
  • The key is in the flexible headband, which twists and automatically switches the Neo from headphone to speaker mode – and back.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The child twists away from her, trying to get out of her arms.
    — Joan Kron, Allure, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of twists
Verb
  • A student tosses a metal barrier during a protest at Strasbourg University in eastern France on Friday.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Love finished 16 of 29 for 145 yards with TD tosses to Christian Watson and MarShawn Lloyd for the Packers, whose six-game skid — including the playoffs — was their longest since dropping seven in a row spanning the 1990 and 1991 seasons.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of tosses
Verb
  • Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.
    — Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2025
Definition of twitches
Verb
  • The man fidgets, shifts around in his seat and fixates on Zarutska before pulling out a small knife and striking her multiple times around her neck.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of fidgets
Verb
  • In a viral video of the aftermath, the robot jerks back and forth to shake the glass off, showering yet more dangerous shards onto the sidewalk.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Ross’s video does not show if the SUV made contact with him, as the camera angle jerks up to the sky.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Definition of jerks

Browse Nearby Words

writhed
writhes
writhing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Writhes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhes. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All