Writhe — Defs

01 v. t. To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring.

imp. Writhed; p. p. Writhed; p. pr. & vb. n. Writhing

1.
To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring.
“Then Satan first knew pain, And writhed him to and fro.” — Milton.

“Her mouth she writhed, her forehead taught to frown.” — Dryden.

“His battle-writhen arms, and mighty hands.” — Tennyson.
2.
To wrest; to distort; to pervert.
“The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed.” — Hooker.
3.
To extort; to wring; to wrest.[R.]
“The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in writhing money from them by every species of oppression.” — Sir W. Scott.

02 v. i. To twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe with agony. Also used figuratively.

1.
To twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe with agony. Also used figuratively.
“After every attempt, he felt that he had failed, and writhed with shame and vexation.” — Macaulay.