fidget

[fij-it]

verb (used without object)

1. to move about restlessly, nervously, or impatiently.

2. to play with something in a restless or nervous way; fiddle.

   The boy kept fidgeting with the toy instead of paying attention.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to fidget; make uneasy: He was fidgeted by a hunch that the girl was going to cause trouble.

noun

1. Often fidgets. the condition or an instance of being nervously restless, uneasy, or impatient.

2. Also fidgeter. a person who fidgets.

fidget

/ ˈfɪdʒɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to move about restlessly

2. to make restless or uneasy movements (with something); fiddle

   he fidgeted with his pen

3. (tr) to cause to fidget

4. (tr) to cause to worry; make uneasy

noun

1. (often plural) a state of restlessness or unease, esp as expressed in continual motion

   he's got the fidgets

2. a person who fidgets

Other Word Forms

• fidgetingly adverb
• unfidgeting adjective
• fidgety adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fidget¹

First recorded in 1665–75; compare dialectal fidge “to fidget,” akin to the synonymous expressive words fitch, fig, fike; compare Old Norse fīkjast “to be eager,” Old Swedish fīkja “to be restless”

Word History and Origins

Origin of fidget¹

C17: from earlier fidge , probably from Old Norse fīkjast to desire eagerly

Example Sentences

At the word “snacks,” the Incorrigibles began to fidget, but Madame Ionesco shushed everyone with a finger.

Read more on Literature

"Your brain has a really powerful influence on how much you fidget, how much you want to move, and how encouraged you are to take a nap," says Best.

Read more on Science Daily

He put his glass down and fidgeted with its long stem.

Read more on Literature

They can take four minutes on the answer, and people are now fidgeting in the crowd.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It doesn't fidget much or use a lot of body language.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• fret 
• jiggle 
• squirm 
• twiddle 
• twitch