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warp

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warp¹

  • /ˈwɔːp/ UK
  • /ˈwoːp/ Australia, British, New Zealand
  • /ˈwoɹp/ Canada, US
  • /ˈwɔɾp/ Scotland

Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)p

Where it comes from

From Middle English warp, werp, from Old English wearp, warp (“a warp, threads stretched lengthwise in a loom, twig, osier”), from Proto-Germanic *warpą (“a warp”).

Cognate with Middle Dutch warp, Middle Low German warp, German werfen, Danish and Swedish varp.

noun warps

  1. uncountable The state, quality, or condition of being physically bent or twisted out of shape. All frames found to suffer from warp should be broken up straight away before the printer is tempted during a rush to make use of them.
  2. uncountable The state, quality, or condition of being deviant from what is right or proper morally or mentally. He believed that we were suffering from warp or bias, that a blind spot contorted our mental vision.
  3. countable A distortion or twist, such as in a piece of wood (also used figuratively). Wills, too, was struck down by a pole but was saved because a warp in the wood bent upwards, creating a pocket for his body.
  4. countable A mental or moral distortion, deviation, or aberration. It is interesting to note that it has been suggested by Lugaro to partially extirpate the thyroid in cases of moral insanity; an excessive secretion of thyroid being regarded as the cause of excessive amativeness, thieving, and other mental warps […]
  5. countable, uncountable The threads that run lengthwise in a woven fabric; crossed by the woof or weft.
  6. countable, figuratively, uncountable The foundation, the basis, the undergirding. The sense of sin (enforced by piacular rites) is as important to social integration as the committing of crimes (in due proportion) which alone can cause the mobilization of moral values that is the warp of society and of human conscience.
  7. countable, uncountable A line or cable or rode as is used in warping (mooring or hauling) a ship, and sometimes for other purposes such as deploying a seine or creating drag. We finish’d the Raft that Night, and in the Morning sent Mr. Prat, our Chief Mate, and four Men in the Boat with a long Rope for a Warp, to fasten on the Land.
  8. countable, uncountable A theoretical construct that permits travel across a medium without passing through it normally, such as a teleporter, faster-than-light travel or time warp.
  9. countable, uncountable A situation or place which is or seems to be from another era; a time warp. If Times Square nevertheless remained a metaphor for the city's changing dynamics, it was stuck in a warp of immobility, unable to push itself forward as it had in the early part of the twentieth century.
  10. countable, uncountable The sediment which subsides from turbid water; the alluvial deposit of muddy water artificially introduced into low lands in order to enrich or fertilise them. The silt is brought down and the strong tide of the Humber brings it up in very large quantities, so that the river the whole way through nearly is exceedingly thick. Added to that I may say that we suffer from warp to a tremendous extent.
  11. countable, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable A throw or cast, as of fish (in which case it is used as a unit of measure: about four fish, though sometimes three or even two), oysters, etc. a warp of fish

warp²

  • /ˈwɔːp/ UK
  • /ˈwoːp/ Australia, British, New Zealand
  • /ˈwoɹp/ Canada, US
  • /ˈwɔɾp/ Scotland

Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)p

Where it comes from

From Middle English werpen, weorpen, worpen, from Old English weorpan (“to throw”), from Proto-West Germanic *werpan, from Proto-Germanic *werpaną (“to throw, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *werb- (“to bend, turn”).

Cognate with Scots warp (“to throw, warp”), North Frisian werpen (“to throw”), Dutch werpen (“to throw, cast”), German werfen (“to throw, cast”), Icelandic verpa (“to throw”).

verb warps · warping · warped

  1. transitive To twist or turn (something) out of shape; to deform. The moisture warped the board badly.
  2. intransitive To become twisted out of shape; to deform. Over the years the post had warped and checked and needed to be replaced.
  3. transitive To deflect or turn (something) away from a true, proper or moral course; to pervert; to bias. Funny how the thought of huge profits can warp your judgment.

    Similar: corrupt, lead astray, warp, adulterate, debauch, demoralize, detort, file, immoralize, pervert, pollute, preposterate

  4. intransitive To go astray or be deflected from a true, proper or moral course; to deviate. His perspective had warped after his extreme experiences.
  5. ambitransitive, obsolete To run (yarn) off the reel into hauls to be tarred. The usual method is to warp the yarn, either in whole or half hauls, […]
  6. transitive To arrange strands of thread lengthwise on a loom. Warp the loom using your preferred method, following the draft in Figure 2 […]
  7. ambitransitive, figuratively, obsolete, rare To plot; to fabricate or weave (a plot or scheme). whiles lie doth he mischief warp
  8. obsolete, poetic, rare, transitive To change or fix (make fixed, for example by freezing). though thou the waters warp
  9. transitive To move a vessel by hauling on a line or cable that is fastened to an anchor or pier; (especially) to move a sailing ship through a restricted place such as a harbour. We had a dreary morning's work before us, for there was no sign of any wind, and the boats had to be got out and manned, and the ship warped three or four miles around the corner of the island.[…]
  10. intransitive, of a ship To move or be moved by this method. Having all our boats out with anchors and warps in them, which were presently run out, the ship warped into safety, where we dropt anchor for the night.
  11. dated, intransitive, rare To fly with a bending or waving motion, like a flock of birds or insects. A pitchy cloud / Of locusts, warping on the eastern wind.
  12. ambitransitive To travel or transport across a medium without passing through it normally, as by using a teleporter or time warp. Then we warp a ball of atmosphere right out of the sky into the domes, and some fruit trees to go with them, and we also abduct some livestock.
  13. ambitransitive, dialectal, obsolete, of an animal To bring forth (young) prematurely. They count a cow's warping her calf a month before her time not to be so bad as an ewe's losing her lamb. […] [A]n ewe that had warped her lamb very early might sometimes have another within the year[.]
  14. ambitransitive To fertilize (low-lying land) by letting the tide, a river, or other water in upon it to deposit silt and alluvial matter. Large fields are surrounded by embankments, dykes are cut, and sluice hates placed; when warping is in progress the gates all along the dykes to the tidal river, miles away, are opened.
  15. obsolete, rare, transitive To throw. They warped all his bowels about on the tide.

    Similar: fling, hurl, bung, cast, chuck, chunk, cook, dash, dump, feck, jerk, heave

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: distort, garble, buckle, deflection, falsify, heave, distorting, distortion, distortive, distortionary, contort, skewed, deform, bend, twist, speed

Translations

Every language

noun state of being bent out of shape

Portuguêsempenamento
Françaisdéformation
DeutschEntstellung, Verwerfung, Verkrümmung, Verwölbung, Verbiegung, Verdrehung
Italianodeformazione, distorsione, piegatura, curvatura
Русскийдеформа́ция deformácija, искривле́ние iskrivlénije, перека́шивание perekášivanije

noun distortion or twist

Españolalabeo, pandeo
Portuguêsempeno
Françaisdéformation
DeutschVerzerrung, Verziehung, Verwindung, Verwerfung, Verziehen
Italianodeformazione, distorsione, piegatura, curvatura, inarcamento
Русскийискривле́ние iskrivlénije, деформа́ция deformácija

noun threads running lengthwise

Españolurdimbre
日本語経 tateito, 縦糸 tateito
中文縱貫 /纵贯 zòngguàn, 經紗 /经纱 jīngshā
Portuguêsurdidura, urdimento, urdume
Françaischaîne
DeutschWebkette, Kettfaden
Italianoordito
Românăurzeală, natră
Русскийосно́ва osnóva
עבריתשְׁתִי shti

noun nautical: line used in warping

Españolcalabrote
Françaisgrelin
DeutschVerholtau, Abschleppseil, Abschleppkabel
Italianotonneggio
Русскийпе́рли́нь pérlínʹ

noun theoretical construct

DeutschRaumzeit-Krümmung
Italianocurvatura spazio-tempo
Русскийдыра́ во вре́мени dyrá vo vrémeni, искривле́ние простра́нства iskrivlénije prostránstva

verb to twist or turn something out of shape

Españolcombar, acombar, cambar, alabear, abarquillar
Portuguêsempenar
Françaisdéformer, tordre
Deutschbiegen, verbiegen, krümmen, krumm machen, deformieren, verformen
Italianopiegare, deformare, distorcere, inarcare, curvare, imbarcare
Русскийдеформи́ровать deformírovatʹ, искажа́ть iskažátʹ, искази́ть iskazítʹ, корёжить korjóžitʹ, искорёжить iskorjóžitʹ, коро́бить koróbitʹ

verb to become twisted out of shape

Españolpandear

verb to move a vessel

Deutschverholen, schleppen
Italianotonneggiare, appennellare
Русскийверпова́ть verpovátʹ

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MLA

"warp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/warp. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

warp. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/warp

Chicago

"warp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/warp.

BibTeX
@misc{warp_2026,
  title = {warp},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/warp},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}