to tug or pull at with a quick, short movement; pluck.
She twitched him by the sleeve.
to jerk rapidly.
The rider twitched the reins a couple of times.
to move (a part of the body) with a sudden, jerking motion.
to pinch or pull at sharply and painfully; give a smarting pinch to; nip.
to move spasmodically or convulsively; jerk; jump.
to give a sharp, sudden pull; tug; pluck (usually followed byat ).
He constantly twitched at his collar.
to ache or hurt with a sharp, shooting pain; twinge.
That back tooth twitches a bit.
a quick, jerky movement of the body or of some part of it.
involuntary, spasmodic movement of a muscle; tic.
He gets a twitch in his left eye when he's nervous.
a short, sudden pull or tug; jerk.
a bodily or mental twinge, as of pain, conscience, etc.; pang.
a loop or noose placed over the muzzle of a horse and tightened by twisting a stick or handle to which it is attached, used as a restraining device during a painful operation.
to move or cause to move in a jerky spasmodic way
(tr) to pull or draw (something) with a quick jerky movement
(intr) to hurt with a sharp spasmodic pain
rare (tr) to nip
a sharp jerking movement
a mental or physical twinge
a sudden muscular spasm, esp one caused by a nervous condition Compare tic
a loop of cord used to control a horse by drawing it tight about its upper lip
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English twicchen (verb); akin to Old English twiccian “to pluck”; cognate with German zwicken “to pinch”
To twitch is to make a very sudden, brief, unintentional movement. Your eye muscles might start to twitch when you're extremely tired. Back in the 12th century, instead of using the word twitch, you would've used to-twic-chen, which was defined as "pulling apart with a quick jerk." It stemmed from the Old English twiccian, "to pluck, gather, or catch hold of." Today, we use twitch as a noun too, to mean the jerky spasm itself: "She tried not to laugh, but he could see a twitch in her lip."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her performance is a cross between an AA meeting and The Exorcist, as dancers in plastic chairs twitch and shake to the song's ever-changing tempo.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
“Even the smallest twitch is causing wild swings in all corners of the market,” he added.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
Over time, their muscles developed more slow twitch fibers, which are linked to greater endurance.
From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026
The high-strung kid is pure nerve and he even looks like one, too; he’s the embodiment of a twitch.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
The twitch turned into a wrench when Clarence raised his voice to declare the next one was two-step and Derrick handed his drum to Tree.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
