to kink

Examples

• All

• So you slide this on one side, bend the tubing, and then slide it back up just like that, and it just kinks the end so no water can come out.

• And because I've got short hair, it kinks in all the wrong places.

  Zoella

• See, this is a, whenever you have a sort of square corner, you can kink it over and do this, OK?

• And the difference is that this is kinked and this isn't.

• I cracked my neck because we were on a flight for six hours, and you were yapping my ear off about how planes all fly themselves, and it actually kinked my neck a bit.

  Friends with Benefits (2011)

• The struck dolphin kinked its flukes and streaked away.

  Fiction book (1990)

• The mule maneuvered through the kinked lanes with the ease of long familiarity.

  Fiction book (1994)

• The gardener had to kink the hose to prevent water from spraying everywhere.

• If you kink the wire too tightly, it may break and stop working.

• He kinked the ribbon as he wrapped the gift, adding a decorative touch.

Synonyms

C

to curl

vsto kink

173 1.1

To form into a curved or spiral shape

is a sharper, more sudden twist than a smooth spiral curve

D

to deform

vsto kink

59 4.8

To change a thing's normal shape so it becomes bent or twisted

is a specific sharp bend rather than a broad spoiling of shape

W

to warp

vsto kink

26 4.9

To bend out of shape when heated or wet

is an intentional sharp bend rather than gradual environmental distortion

C

to curve

vsto kink

22 2.8

To bend into a smooth, rounded shape

is a sharp, abrupt bend rather than a gentle rounded shape

C

to contort

vsto kink

17 7.5

To twist a body or object into a strange shape

is a sudden sharp bend but not necessarily violent or extreme

F

to flex

vsto kink

17 3.2

To curve under pressure, like a branch or metal

is a sudden, sharper bend rather than a smooth, flexible curve

F

to frizz

vsto kink

2 6.3

To make hair form a lot of small, tight curls

refers to a single sharp twist rather than many fine curls

C

to crimp

vsto kink

2 6.7

To make hair into small tight waves using a tool

produces a single sharp twist rather than repeated pressed waves

F

to frizzle

vsto kink

1 7.9

Make hair or material curl and look messy

is a neat sharp twist rather than messy frizz from treatment or harm

K

to kink up

vsto kink

• Informal

7.4

To curl tightly into small bends, as with hair or a rope

shows a single sharp bend rather than many small tight bends

C

to crape

vsto kink

• Archaic

9.9

To make hair or fabric form tight waves

involves one distinct sharp bend rather than uniform tight ridges

G

to gnarl

vsto kink

8.6

To twist into a knotted, rough shape often in wood

is a cleaner sharp bend rather than a knotted, irregular distortion

Antonyms

S

to straighten

114 2.5

Make something straight and in the right position

Phrasal Verbs

K

to kink up

• Informal

7.4

To curl tightly into small bends, as with hair or a rope

How Bent

to twist

231 1.7

to kink

3 5.4

to bend

268 1.0

to curve

22 2.8

Surface Forms

Etymology