the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
a change for the worse
a change (usually undesired) in the waveform of an acoustic or analog electrical signal; the difference between two measurements of a signal (as between the input and output signal); "heavy metal guitar players use vacuum tube amplifiers to produce extreme distortion"
(architeture) a tall cylindrical vertical upright and used to support a structure
a vertical cylindrical structure standing alone and not supporting anything (such as a monument)
a vertical glass tube used in column chromatography; a mixture is poured in the top and washed through a stationary substance where components of the mixture are adsorbed selectively to form colored bands
an article giving opinions or perspectives
a line of (usually military) units following one after another
a linear array of numbers one above another
anything tall and relatively thin that approximates the shape of a column or tower; "the test tube held a column of white powder"; "a tower of dust rose above the horizon"; "a thin pillar of smoke betrayed their campsite"
a failing or deficiency; "that interpretation is an unfortunate defect of our lack of information"
an imperfection in a bodily system; "visual defects"; "this device permits detection of defects in the lungs"
an imperfection in a device or machine; "if there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer"
desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army; "If soldiers deserted Hitler's army, they were shot"
a surface excavation for extracting stone or slate; "a British term for `quarry' is `stone pit'"
a trap in the form of a concealed hole
a sizeable hole (usually in the ground); "they dug a pit to bury the body"
a concavity in a surface (especially an anatomical depression)
remove the pits from; "pit plums and cherries"
set into opposition or rivalry; "let them match their best athletes against ours"; "pit a chess player against the Russian champion"; "He plays his two children off against each other"
a spot that is open late at night and that provides entertainment (as singers or dancers) as well as dancing and food and drink; "don't expect a good meal at a cabaret"; "the gossip columnist got his information by visiting nightclubs every night"; "he played the drums at a jazz club"