Déformer

Déformer is a French verb meaning to change the form or shape of something, to alter its structure, or to distort or misrepresent. It is used in physical contexts, such as mechanics and materials science to describe changes in geometry under stress, and in figurative contexts where it refers to distortions of information, truth, or representations.

The term is derived from Latin deformare (de- meaning away or undo, forma meaning shape), passing through Old French deformer and into modern French as déformer. The related noun déformation denotes the process or result of deformation and is used across scientific and everyday language.

As a regular -er verb, déformer conjugates like other verbs in this group. Present tense forms include je déforme, tu déformes, il déforme, nous déformons, vous déformez, ils déforment. The passé composé is formed with avoir and déformé (par exemple, j'ai déformé), the imperfect is déformais, and the future is déformerai. It takes a direct object, for instance: déformer une image, un objet, ou des données.

The noun déformation covers the phenomenon itself, such as déformation plastique or déformation élastique in materials science, and déformation optique in optics. In a figurative sense, a déformation of facts may occur in journalism or rhetoric. A common expression is déformation professionnelle, referring to a habitual way of thinking shaped by one’s occupation.

Examples include: La carrosserie s'est déformée sous l'impact; les données ont été déformées par l'algorithme. The term remains widely used in physics, engineering, design, and discourse on truth and representation.