pervert
verb /pəˈvɜːt/
/pərˈvɜːrt/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they pervert | /pəˈvɜːt/ /pərˈvɜːrt/ |
| he / she / it perverts | /pəˈvɜːts/ /pərˈvɜːrts/ |
| past simple perverted | /pəˈvɜːtɪd/ /pərˈvɜːrtɪd/ |
| past participle perverted | /pəˈvɜːtɪd/ /pərˈvɜːrtɪd/ |
| -ing form perverting | /pəˈvɜːtɪŋ/ /pərˈvɜːrtɪŋ/ |
- pervert something to change a system, process, etc. in a bad way so that it is not what it used to be or what it should be
- Some scientific discoveries have been perverted to create weapons of destruction.
- pervert somebody/something to affect somebody in a way that makes them act or think in an unacceptable or immoral way synonym corrupt
- Some people believe that television can pervert the minds of children.
Word Originlate Middle English (as a verb): from Old French pervertir, from Latin pervertere, from per- ‘thoroughly, to ill effect’ + vertere ‘to turn’. The current noun sense dates from the late 19th cent.
Idioms
pervert the course of justice (British English)
(North American English obstruct justice)
- (law) to tell a lie or to do something in order to prevent the police, etc. from finding out the truth about a crimeTopics Crime and punishmentc2