distortion
noun
dis·tor·tion
di-ˈstȯr-shən 
1
: the act of twisting or altering something out of its true, natural, or original state : the act of distorting
a distortion of the facts
2
: the quality or state of being distorted : a product of distorting: such as
a
physics
: a lack of proportionality in an image resulting from defects in the optical system
an image free of distortion
b
: falsified reproduction of an audio or video signal (see signal entry 1 sense 4b) caused by change in the wave form of the original signal
Examples of distortion in a Sentence
had to total the car due to a distortion of the chassis resulting from collision
Recent Examples on the Web
Crews used telescopes with special filters that can detect air distortions like shock waves to capture the image.
—
Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2025
Gomez said that the unedited transcript and video of the 60 Minutes segment makes clear there was no violation of the news distortion policy.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025
There's no visible distortion of which to speak in either Raw or JPG images, as the lens draws properly straight lines, even without the aid of a correction profile.
—PCMAG, 12 Feb. 2025
That would have required a very costly physical recall and would surely have harmed Tesla's share price despite that stock's immense reality distortion field.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distortion
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Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2025
Gomez said that the unedited transcript and video of the 60 Minutes segment makes clear there was no violation of the news distortion policy.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025
There's no visible distortion of which to speak in either Raw or JPG images, as the lens draws properly straight lines, even without the aid of a correction profile.
—PCMAG, 12 Feb. 2025
That would have required a very costly physical recall and would surely have harmed Tesla's share price despite that stock's immense reality distortion field.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distortion
Cite this Entry
“Distortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distortion. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distortion
noun
dis·tor·tion
dis-ˈtȯr-shən
1
: the act of distorting
2
: the condition of being distorted or a product of distortion
Medical Definition
distortion
noun
dis·tor·tion
dis-ˈtȯr-shən
1
: the censorship of unacceptable unconscious impulses so that they are unrecognizable to the ego in the manifest content of a dream
2
: a lack of correspondence of size or intensity in an image resulting from defects in an optical system
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