What does "twine" mean?
A twist; a convolution.
Twine
/twaɪn/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A twist; a convolution.
- Grammar: twine is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: string, band, begird, belt.
- Useful contrasts: haywire, loose string, loose thread.
- Usage evidence: Tom attached some twine to the kite.
How to use "twine"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "twine" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "twine" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "twine" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "twine" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "twine" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "string" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "twine", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A twist; a convolution. countable, uncountable
"Not Typhon huge ending in ſnaky twine:"
- 2 a lightweight cord wordnet
- 3 A strong thread composed of two or three smaller threads or strands twisted together, and used for various purposes, as for binding small parcels, making nets, and the like; a small cord or string. countable, uncountable
"The orioles like to build the framework of twine, and it is marvelous how they will loop this around a twig almost as evenly knotted as if crocheted[…]"
- 4 The act of twining or winding round. countable, uncountable
"The Colewort's rankness, but with amorous twine / Clasps the tall Elm"
- 5 Intimate and suggestive dance gyrations. countable, uncountable
"1965, Wilson Pickett, Don't Fight It (blues song), BMI Music. The way you jerk, the way you do the twine / You're too much, baby; I'd like to make you mine …"
Verb
- 1 To weave together. transitive
- 2 Alternative form of twin (“to separate”). alt-of, alternative
- 3 form into a spiral shape wordnet
- 4 To wind, as one thread around another, or as any flexible substance around another body. transitive
"Let me twine Mine arms about that body […]"
- 5 spin, wind, or twist together wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 To wind about; to embrace; to entwine. transitive
"“Let wreaths of triumph now my temples twine,” The victor cried, “the glorious prize is mine! […]”"
- 7 make by twisting together or intertwining wordnet
- 8 To mutually twist together; to become mutually involved; to intertwine. intransitive
"Usually some old crone was squatted on the earth floor, weaving cedar fibre or tatters of old cloth into a mat, her claw-like fingers twining in and out, in and out, among the strands that were fastened to a crude frame of sticks."
- 9 arrange or coil around wordnet
- 10 To wind; to bend; to make turns; to meander. intransitive
"As rivers, though they bend and twine, Still to the sea their course incline:"
- 11 To ascend in spiral lines about a support; to climb spirally. intransitive
"Many plants twine."
- 12 To turn round; to revolve. obsolete
"dancers twine midst cedar-fragrant glades"
- 13 To change the direction of. obsolete
"For where he turned his sword, or twined his steed, He slew, or man and beast on earth down laid,"
- 14 To mingle; to mix. obsolete
"As lumpes of sugar loose themselues, and twine Their subtile essence with the soul of wine."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Tom attached some twine to the kite."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "twine"?
Common synonyms include: string, band, begird, belt, belt in, binding cord.
How do you use "twine" in a sentence?
Tom attached some twine to the kite.
How do you pronounce "twine"?
Pronounced /twaɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English twyn, twyne, twin, from Old English twīn (“double thread, twist, twine, linen-thread, linen”), from Proto-West Germanic *twiʀn (“thread, twine”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwisnós (“double”), from *dwóh₁ (“two”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English twinen, twynen, from Old English *twīnian (“to twine, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *twiznōną (“to thread”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwisnós (“double”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”). Cognate with Dutch twijnen (“to twine, contort, throw”), Danish tvinde (“to twist”), Swedish tvinna (“to twist, twine, throw”), Icelandic tvinna (“to merge, twine”).