fidget
Americanverb (used without object)
-
fidgets,
present (3rd person singular)
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fidgeted,
past participle, past
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fidgeting
present participle
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to move about restlessly, nervously, or impatiently.
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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)
-
fidgets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fidgeted,
past participle, past
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fidgeting
present participle
noun
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fidgets
plural
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Often fidgets. the condition or an instance of being nervously restless, uneasy, or impatient.
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Also fidgeter. a person who fidgets.
verb
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(intr) to move about restlessly
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to make restless or uneasy movements (with something); fiddle
he fidgeted with his pen
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(tr) to cause to fidget
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(tr) to cause to worry; make uneasy
noun
-
(often plural) a state of restlessness or unease, esp as expressed in continual motion
he's got the fidgets
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a person who fidgets
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fidgetsimple
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fidgetssimple
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have fidgetedperfect
-
has fidgetedperfect
-
am fidgetingprogressive
-
are fidgetingprogressive
-
is fidgetingprogressive
-
have been fidgetingperfect progressive
-
has been fidgetingperfect progressive
Past
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fidgetedsimple
-
had fidgetedperfect
-
was fidgetingprogressive
-
were fidgetingprogressive
-
had been fidgetingperfect progressive
Future
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.
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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:
Or one of those fidget gizmo things that stores sell in the checkout line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 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
I wondered who’d taught him not to fidget, because he was doing a killer impression of a statue.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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
He fidgets endlessly with his hands as if trying to rub out the scars.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2023
Sebastian Roelandse fidgets with headphones and bashfully whispers, “‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid.’”
From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
The three of us laugh as Marv fidgets.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
One fidgeted with a glass; the other observed me with a curious half-smile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
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
And at the matinee I saw, it failed to connect with its audience — or at least the several dozen middle school students in attendance, who napped, whispered, fidgeted and surreptitiously checked phones.
From New York Times ● May 11, 2023
Together they fidgeted and called out, interrupting things repeatedly with their questions and responses.
From Salon ● May 6, 2023
Ayanna fidgeted, and then, before I could say anything, hugged me tight.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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
"Some people might get really annoyed by fidgeting or repetitive movements but it doesn't impact massively on day-to-day life," she says.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024
The severity of people's aversion to fidgeting varies, she tells me.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024
The baby, who had been fidgeting and kicking just a moment before, became very still and very calm.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
