warp

UK/ˈwɔːp/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/ˈwoːp/

warp noun: the state, quality, or condition of being physically bent or twisted out of shape.

Noun

warp (countable and uncountable, plural warps)

(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.1920, The British Journal of Photography, volume 67, page 246
- Rough lumber is rarely perfectly straight, and may suffer from warp,2001, Roland Johnson, Automotive Woodworking : Restoration, Repair and Replacement, →ISBN
(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.1933, Journal of the National Proctologic Association, volume 6, number 5, page 126
- […] and may discover that the potency of this politician-father had so altered the freedom with which corrective authority could be imposed on his son that to an extraordinary extent the person as an adult continues to suffer from warp acquired at home as a child.1966, Man and International Relations: Conflict, page 306
(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.1998, Gary May, Hard Oiler!: The Story of Canadians' Quest for Oil at Home, page 86
- In yet another ironic twist in a story richly endowed with such warps, the Tsar's telegram crossed one despatched in the other direction.2014, July Crisis: The World's Descent into War, Summer 1914, page 396
(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 […]1905, Therapeutic Gazette, page 752
The threads that run lengthwise in a woven fabric; crossed by the woof or weft.
(figuratively) 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.1993, The Sociological Tradition, →ISBN, page 251
- This stretch is typical of the Piedmont section, where the warp of the economic structure is agriculture and the woof industry.2013, The WPA Guide to North Carolina: The Tar Heel State, page 388
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.1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar, London, pages 11–12
- […] trailed one of my sea anchors or at least some warps in order to ease the ship […]1966, Peter Tangvald, Sea Gypsy, page 24
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.
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.2003, Lynne B. Sagalyn, Times Square Roulette: Remaking the City Icon, page 67
- Evolutionary psychology often seems to be stuck in a warp on the grassy African plains, even though we know that early humans didn't stay on the Savannah but moved from around 2 million years ago out of Africa into quite different terrains.2012, Sîan Ede, Art and Science, page 68
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.1902, C. K. Eddowes, speaking before the Royal Commission on Salmon Fisheries, as recorded in the Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons, volume 13, page 99
(dialectal, obsolete) 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

Verb

warp (third-person singular simple present warps, present participle warping, simple past and past participle warped)

(transitive) To twist or turn (something) out of shape; to deform.
- The moisture warped the board badly.
- to warp space and time
(intransitive) To become twisted out of shape; to deform.
- Over the years the post had warped and checked and needed to be replaced.
- One of you will prove a shrunk panel, and, like green timber, warp.c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
(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.
- This firſt avovv'd; nor Folly vvarp'd my Mind, / Nor the frail Texture of the Female Kind / Betray'd my Vertue: […]1700, [John] Dryden, “Sigismonda and Guiscardo, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 138
Synonyms:

corrupt, lead astray, adulterate, debauch, demoralize, detort, file, immoralize, pervert, pollute
(intransitive) To go astray or be deflected from a true, proper or moral course; to deviate.
- His perspective had warped after his extreme experiences.
- There is our commission, / From which we would not have you warp.c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
(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, […]1830, William Burney, A New Universal Dictionary of the Marine
- The next part of the process previous to tarring, is that of warping the yarns, or stretching them all to one length.1852, Thomas Antisell, Hand-book of the Useful Arts: Including Agriculture, page 541
(transitive) To arrange strands of thread lengthwise on a loom.
- Warp the loom using your preferred method, following the draft in Figure 2 […]2026, Malynda Allen, “Flights of Fancy”, in Handwoven, volume XLVII, number 1, page 44
(ambitransitive, figuratively, obsolete, rare) To plot; to fabricate or weave (a plot or scheme).
- whiles lie doth he mischief warp1628, Thomas Sternhold, The Whole Book of Psalms
- She acquainted the Greeks underhand with this treason, which was a warping against them.1602, Plutarch, translated by Philemon Holland, Moralia, page 409
(obsolete, poetic, rare, transitive) To change or fix (make fixed, for example by freezing).
- though thou the waters warpc. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- On came the sleet, and hail, and snow, in thorough good earnest; on came the bitter biting wind, which is not so unkind as man's ingratitude; on came the frost, which warps the waters, but whose bite is not so nigh as benefits forgot,1860, Robert Barnabas Brough, The Welcome Guest, page 273
(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.[…]1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC
- At slack tide, the crew warped the ship into the lock that lowered the vessel down to river height,2011, Derek Lundy, The Way of a Ship: A Square-Rigger Voyage in the Last Days
(intransitive) 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.1777, James Cook, A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World
- A good anchorage was found at Tanna, and the ship warped close in.2009, Arthur Kitson, The Life of Captain James Cook, page 148
(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.1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
- Thou know'st, with trumpet tongue, they'll speak, despite / Detracting foes, unnumbered as the tribes / Of horned locusts, warped on dusky winds, […]1844, William Harper, Cain and Abel: a dramatic poem; and minor pieces, page 74
(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.2004, Travis S. Taylor, Warp Speed, →ISBN
- Valerie asked why they couldn't warp to the planet.2012, Jonathan Henry, The Revelation of Earth: First Contact, page 188

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(ambitransitive, dialectal, obsolete) 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[.]1757, Edward Lisle, Observations in husbandry, volume 2, pages 113 and 200
- Some cows are perhaps by constitutional weakness, or bodily imperfection, more liable to warp than others; […]1807, General View of the Agriculture of the County of Gloucester, page 297
(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.1901 February 23, Yorkshire Weekly Post, quoted in English Dialect Dictionary
(obsolete, rare, transitive) To throw.
- They warped all his bowels about on the tide.1822, James Hogg, Poetical Works, volume 2, page 144
- time and again / i write you of our love for Jarrell. / the wind warps me in your tree / Delmore […]1969, Intro, issue 2, page 164
Synonyms:

fling, hurl, bung, cast, chuck, chunk, cook, dash, dump, feck

warp meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

warp in Hindi

warp: ताना tānā
warp , weaving: तंत्र tantra

warp in Tamil

நெளிவு, பாவு, மடிப்பு, இழுவைக் கயிறு, வடக் கயிறு, ஊடை

warp in Urdu

انڈے دینا, مروڑنا, پھینکنا, رستے سے ہٹ جانا

More languagesFewer languages

warp in Bengali: ওয়ার্প
warp in Telugu: పేక pēka
warp in Malayalam: കോടിപ്പോകുക, വക്രീകരിക്കുക, തെറ്റിദ്ധരിപ്പിക്കുക, കയറുകെട്ടി വലിക്കുക
warp in Kannada: ಡೊಂಕು, ಬಾಗು, ವಕ್ರತೆ, ತಿರುವು
warp in Punjabi: ਵਾਰਪ
warp in Gujarati: વાર્પ
warp in Odia: ୱାର୍ପ, ୱାର୍ପ୍
warp in Sanskrit: तन्त्र tántra
warp in Assamese: দীঘ digh
warp in Nepali: वार्प
warp in Indonesian: ledingan, pelintiran, lungsin, benang lungsin
warp in Persian: تار târ, تانه tâne

Examples of warp in a sentence

The trauma had permanently warped her mind.
It does not suffer from warp, sag or curl.1992, Innovation, volumes 11-12, page 32:
[…] and Senft found that the fibril angle in both the Pinus and Populus was high in juvenile wood, indicating that both are likely to exhibit warp in drying.1992, Progrès scientifique au service du bois (International Union of Forestry Research Organizations. Division 5. Conference), page 503
Walter warped his mouth at this / To something so mock solemn, that I laughed.1847, Alfred Tennyson, “Prologue”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVI, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

All 40 example sentences with warp

Synonyms of warp

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of warp

Forms of warp

Noun
plural	warps
Verb
third-person singular present	warps
present participle	warping
past participle	warped
past	warped

Past tense of warp: warped

Plural of warp: warps

Origin of warp

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.

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”).

Words formed from warp

Phrases with warp

Words that rhyme with warp

Questions about warp

What does warp mean?: Warp means the state, quality, or condition of being physically bent or twisted out of shape.
What is warp in Hindi?: Warp in Hindi is ताना (tānā), तंत्र (tantra). See Warp meaning in Hindi.
How do you use warp in a sentence?: The trauma had permanently warped her mind.
What part of speech is warp?: Warp can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce warp?: Warp is pronounced /ˈwɔːp/ (UK).
What is the plural of warp?: The plural of warp is warps.

Words near warp in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-warp.ogg.

Cite this entry: “warp.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/warp. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.