fidget
Americanverb (used without object)
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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)
noun
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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
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(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
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fidgetsimple
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fidgetssimple
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have fidgetedperfect
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has fidgetedperfect
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am fidgetingprogressive
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are fidgetingprogressive
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is fidgetingprogressive
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have been fidgetingperfect progressive
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has been fidgetingperfect progressive
Past
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fidgetedsimple
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had fidgetedperfect
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was fidgetingprogressive
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were fidgetingprogressive
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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.
Vocabulary lists containing fidget
Bud, Not Buddy
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American Born Chinese
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Holes
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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:
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
Each doll comes with a pink fidget spinner to reduce stress and improve focus, and noise-cancelling headphones to block out background sounds and therefore limit sensory overload.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
After washing the dishes, I fidget with the remote in the living room.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
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
Even at shows without sensory modifications, sensory bags containing comfort items, fidgets and headphones are always available.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
One sign of autism is fidgeting, but, she points out, how a black woman fidgets will be different to a white man for example.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2023
In interviews, he fidgets, stumbles over words and gets frustrated if he thinks he has said the wrong thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2023
Misty fidgets in Sam’s arms, so Sam lets her down.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
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
As he fidgeted with his bat between pitches, surrounded by a sea of standing spectators either clapping or cheering or recording the moment on their phone, Ohtani showed hardly any expression on his face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2024
Mr. Trump fidgeted throughout his time in court last week.
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2024
Students fidgeted in chairs, not knowing what to say.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 19, 2023
As a child, Gabe had yawned and fidgeted when his class was taken, as each school class was, to visit the village museum and learn the history.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
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
Prosper watched the appeal via a video-link from HMP Belmarsh, often fidgeting in his seat.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2025
One recent Canadian study suggested perhaps one in three of us might be aversely affected by other people fidgeting, experiencing intense feelings of rage, torture and disgust.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024
Suspicions were reportedly aroused when a test-taker was seen repeatedly fidgeting with their glasses frames, according to one source briefed on the probe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
I feel like there are bugs crawling over me and I keep fidgeting to fight them off—tiny little anxious bugs that are trying to eat me alive.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Definitions 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.
