twitch
verb (used with object)
to tug or pull at with a quick, short movement; pluck.
twitch
1 American
[twich]
/ twɪtʃ /
verb (used with object)
-
twitches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
twitched,
past participle, past
-
twitching
present participle
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
twitches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
twitched,
past participle, past
-
twitching
present participle
-
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.
noun
-
twitches
plural
-
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.
Twitch
2
American
[twich]
/ twɪtʃ /
Trademark.
twitch
British
/ twɪtʃ /
verb
-
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
noun
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
twitchsimple
-
twitchessimple
-
have twitchedperfect
-
has twitchedperfect
-
am twitchingprogressive
-
are twitchingprogressive
-
is twitchingprogressive
-
have been twitchingperfect progressive
-
has been twitchingperfect progressive
Past
-
twitchedsimple
-
had twitchedperfect
-
was twitchingprogressive
-
were twitchingprogressive
-
had been twitchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of twitch
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English twicchen (verb); akin to Old English twiccian “to pluck”; cognate with German zwicken “to pinch”
Explanation
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."
Vocabulary lists containing twitch
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Muscles – women have more oxygen-efficient muscle fibres, known as "slow twitch", that are better suited for endurance activities.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Because D5 fully activated the same receptor targeted by psychedelics, the scientists expected it to produce head twitch responses in mice, a widely used indicator of hallucinogenic-like effects.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026
As you might guess about someone who topped Michael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio at the Baftas, Mr. Aramayo is astonishing, giving an intensely committed performance of every twitch, shout and click.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
“Even the smallest twitch is causing wild swings in all corners of the market,” he added.
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
“I know I shall forget. If you see me doing anything wrong, just remind me by a wink, will you?” returned Jo, giving her collar a twitch and her head a hasty brush.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Last month, the musicians streamed a concert from Twitch superstar Kai Cenat’s house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
They also launched legal action against a French influencer on Twitch who urged his hundreds of thousands of followers to take part in the demonstration "war zone".
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Chipotle’s latest tie-in with a creator is a bowl with Twitch streamer Pokimane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the investors’ group includes San Francisco-based brothers Patrick and John Collison, who founded the tech company Stripe; venture capitalist Robin Chan; and Twitch co-founder Justin Kan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, Magic had arrived just outside the burrow belonging to Major Puff and Twitch.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Her pre-kick routine is quick, simple and without any of the quirks and twitches that characterise some others.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
Mice receiving 4e showed significantly fewer head twitches, which scientists use as a reliable indicator of psychedelic-like activity in rodents, than mice treated with psilocybin.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2026
By subconsciously mirroring even the subtlest twitches of expression and biological rhythms of other people, we can channel their thoughts and feelings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
His nose twitches are as dramatic as an ingenue’s gasp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025
The mind, already jelled by the advances in modern communication so that further boggling is impossible, twitches.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
She had been struggling with an ankle injury and said she "twitched" her neck during podium training on Thursday.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2024
As the hours went on, Spiderman twitched less.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 29, 2023
As she listened to her girlfriend on the phone, Sophie began hyperventilating and sobbing in heaves; her hands and toes twitched.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2023
Then this bothersome boy looked up, twitched his whiskers at us, and said, “Will they be taking Mrs. Flint with them when they sail for Europe? The Upstairs Cranstons?”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
When CBN was withdrawn, the mice also displayed physical symptoms resembling withdrawal, including head twitching and paw fluttering.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Someone might have blepharospasms, a dystonia affecting the muscles around the eyes, which results in uncontrollable twitching and blinking.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
So, within our patch of common ground, all kinds of civic muscles start twitching again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Ms Hoes, 47, from Cwmbran, noticed her daughter was twitching at night and thought she may have symptoms.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2025
His mouth sagged and his hands hung limply at his sides, twitching, as if he wanted to raise them, to do something.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
