fidget

American  

[fij-it] / ˈfɪdʒ ɪt /

verb (used without object)

• fidgets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fidgeted,
  past participle,  past
• fidgeting
  present participle

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.

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verb (used with object)

• fidgets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fidgeted,
  past participle,  past
• fidgeting
  present participle

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

noun

• fidgets
  plural

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

2. Also fidgeter. a person who fidgets.

fidget British  

/ 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

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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

Derived Forms

• fidgety
  adjective
• unfidgeting
  adjective
• fidgetingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fidgets
  plural

Participles

• fidgeting
  present
• fidgeted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fidget
  simple
• fidgets
  simple
• have fidgeted
  perfect
• has fidgeted
  perfect
• am fidgeting
  progressive
• are fidgeting
  progressive
• is fidgeting
  progressive
• have been fidgeting
  perfect progressive
• has been fidgeting
  perfect progressive

Past

• fidgeted
  simple
• had fidgeted
  perfect
• was fidgeting
  progressive
• were fidgeting
  progressive
• had been fidgeting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fidget
  simple
• will have fidgeted
  perfect
• will be fidgeting
  progressive
• will have been fidgeting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of fidget

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”

Explanation

To fidget is to make little movements with your hands and feet. Even if you're nervous during your job interview, try not to fidget. The word fidget is related to the Old Norse fikja, meaning "move briskly, be restless or eager." If you are feeling impatient or anxious you might fidget in your seat or fidget with a pen in your hands. A person who fidgets a lot can be referred to as a fidget and so can that quick anxious movement itself.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fidget fidgets fidgeted fidgeting

So Banos, who works in communications, has started to “carry a magnetic ball fidget toy so I don’t,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Kids call them fidget toys or stress balls.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

That approach, she said, helped Five Below take advantage of the current craze for “squishy dumplings” — the latest popular fidget toy that the retailer has managed to cash in on.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026

She carries a fidget spinner and a tablet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026

Besides, he knew whatever was making his father fidget and look around to see if anyone was too near had to do with something his father wanted, not something he wanted himself.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

He fidgets with a pair of eyeglasses and points a knobby index finger to underscore a point, jiggles his leg restlessly and, at one point, mimes playing guitar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

The story is simple: The dad flusters, fidgets and whines; the girl gobbles room service as though aspiring to become human foie gras.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Even at shows without sensory modifications, sensory bags containing comfort items, fidgets and headphones are always available.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2023

He fidgets endlessly with his hands as if trying to rub out the scars.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2023

The sneakandle pops on again, and Elsie fidgets with the dials.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

No-one fidgeted or glanced at their smartphones, as Eva explained she had the number A-26959 tattooed in blue ink on her arm.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2025

Barrois fidgeted with clay, aluminum foil, phone wires, even old chewing gum pulled from the bottom of church pews, twisting each material into tiny drivers for his cars.

From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2024

O'Brien retorted, "You stand your butt up, big guy," as Mullin rose from his seat and fidgeted with his wedding band.

From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2023

Students fidgeted in chairs, not knowing what to say.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 19, 2023

Kote tried to relax, failed, fidgeted, sighed, shifted in his seat, and without willing it his eyes fell on the chest at the foot of the bed.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Dubois - twitching his shoulders, stretching his neck and constantly fidgeting - insisted the "talking was done", while Wardley rolled his eyes and smiled beside him.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

In the studio and in meetings, Shulman has the restless energy of a kid—pacing around a room or fidgeting with a piano keyboard or bass guitar—combined with the intellectual affect of a quant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2025

The severity of people's aversion to fidgeting varies, she tells me.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024

V followed the stream of visitors in chef’s hats and colored aprons, some toting cake pans under their arms, others simply fidgeting nervously.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

Related Words

• fret
• jiggle
• squirm
• twiddle
• twitch