twit

¹ American  

[twit] / twɪt /

verb (used with object)

twits, present (3rd person singular) twitted, past participle, past twitting present participle

1. to taunt, tease, ridicule, etc., with reference to anything embarrassing; gibe at.

   Synonyms:

   deride, insult, mock

2. to reproach or upbraid.

   Synonyms:

   castigate, revile, criticize, rebuke, scold, chide

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noun

1. an act of twitting.

2. a derisive reproach; taunt; gibe.

twit ² American  

[twit] / twɪt /

noun

1. a weak or thin place in yarn caused by uneven spinning.

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twit ³ American  

[twit] / twɪt /

noun

Informal.

1. an insignificant, silly, or bothersome person.

   Pay no attention to that obnoxious little twit!

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twit ⁴ American  

[twit] / twɪt /

noun

Informal.

1. a confused, excited state.

   to be in a twit about company coming.

   Synonyms:

   stew, tizzy, dither

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twit ¹ British  

/ twɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to tease, taunt, or reproach, often in jest

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noun

1. informal a nervous or excitable state

2. rare a reproach; taunt

twit ² British  

/ twɪt /

noun

1. informal a foolish or stupid person; idiot

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Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have twitted
  perfect
• has twitted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is twitting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been twitting
  perfect progressive
• twits
  singular 3rd person
• twitting
  participle
• are twitting
  progressive
• has been twitting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am twitting
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had twitted
  perfect
• were twitting
  progressive plural
• twitted
  simple
• had been twitting
  perfect progressive
• twitted
  participle
• was twitting
  progressive singular

Future

• will twit
  simple
• will have twitted
  perfect
• will have been twitting
  perfect progressive
• will be twitting
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of twit¹

First recorded in 1520–30; shortened variant of obsolete atwite, Middle English atwiten, Old English ætwītan “to taunt,” equivalent to æt- “at” + wītan “to blame”; see at ¹

Origin of twit²

First recorded in 1810–20; origin uncertain

Origin of twit³

First recorded in 1920–25; perhaps originally noun derivative of twit ¹, i.e., “one who twits others,” but altered in sense by association with expressive words with tw- ( twaddle, twat, twerp, etc.) and by rhyme with nitwit

Origin of twit⁴

First recorded in 1890–95; probably shortened from twitter

Example Sentences

Jane Austen wrote takedowns of this kind of ninny two centuries ago — how fun to see Pike update her twit to the post-Y2K era.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2024

Immediately after elevating himself to self-proclaimed chief twit, Musk shoved out chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde, the leader of all things trust and safety.

From Slate • Nov. 20, 2022

On social media, Disney+ viewers took swipes at his 28-year-old self, calling him “the upper class twit of the year,” among other insults.

From New York Times • Jul. 5, 2022

The satire of a privileged twit is dry and delicious.

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2022

He acted like such a twit, I’m sure he made Madam Schofield proud.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt