Skew
/skjuː/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo suddenly turn or change direction; to distort or misrepresent.
/skjuː/
To suddenly change direction or position
The car suddenly skewed to avoid the cyclist.
💡 Simply: Think of it like a sudden turn or a change in direction, like when you're driving and the car suddenly veers off course. Or when you're trying to make a drawing look like a person, but the face looks all messed up (skewed).
👶 For kids: To turn or move suddenly to one side.
More Examples
The results of the survey were skewed due to a biased sample.
His statement skewed the truth.
How It's Used
"The beam of light skewed off to the side after hitting the prism."
"The quarterback skewed his pass, causing an interception."
A position or direction that is not straight or level; a distortion.
/skjuː/
A position that is not straight or level.
The skew of the building created an interesting architectural design.
💡 Simply: When something isn't straight. Like if a picture frame is hanging a little crooked on the wall, or your view of the results has some bias.
👶 For kids: When something is not straight or even.
More Examples
The data had a statistical skew, indicating that the results were not normally distributed.
The camera angle provided a slight skew to the photo.
How It's Used
"The bridge deck had a slight skew to it to accommodate the road's angle."
"The data showed a skew, indicating a lack of symmetry."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
askew
Not in a straight or level position; crooked.
"The picture on the wall was hanging askew."
From Middle English *skewen*, related to Old French *esquier* ('to turn aside'), and likely of Scandinavian origin.
The word has been used since the late 14th century, initially meaning 'to move suddenly or quickly'. Its usage has broadened over time to encompass distortion and deviation.
Memory tip
Imagine a car skidding and suddenly turning sideways - it's skewed!