fidget

[ fij-it ]

/ ˈfɪdʒ ɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: fidget / fidgeting / fidgets on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to move about restlessly, nervously, or impatiently.

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)

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

noun

Often fidg·ets. the condition or an instance of being nervously restless, uneasy, or impatient.

Also fidg·et·er. a person who fidgets.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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”

OTHER WORDS FROM fidget

fidg·et·ing·ly, adverbun·fidg·et·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use fidget in a sentence

The formal study will involve a computerized fidget ball and carefully coded video observation of the participants.
Fidgeting can relax your body and brain—if you do it right||January 6, 2021|Popular-Science
He slouched in his chair, clutching a crumpled charcoal blazer in his arms, and kept fidgeting.
Van der Sloot Hints in Court that He Might Plead Guilty to Murder|Andrea Zarate|January 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The video, which played on Peruvian television, shows a very nervous Van der Sloot chain smoking and fidgeting in his chair.
Is Van der Sloot’s Confession Genuine?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
We know that thin people spend more of their days standing, walking, and even “fidgeting” than do overweight individuals.
Do Your Genes Make You Fat?|Arthur Agatston, M.D.|January 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST

He said he didn't want his family fidgeting him, and the surgeon said he would be all right in a few days.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
To see a hostess fidgeting, constantly going in and out, argues ill for her tact in arranging the house for company.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
They stood waiting near a lamp-post; he, fidgeting as usual, she, straight and still.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater
Althotas listened in silence, with no other token of impatience than fidgeting with a scalpel in his hands.
Balsamo, The Magician|Alexander Dumas
I fidgeted up and down the raft, abusing myself to myself, and Jim was fidgeting up and down past me.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for fidget

fidget

/ (ˈfɪdʒɪt) /

verb

(intr) to move about restlessly

(intr often foll by with) to make restless or uneasy movements (with something); fiddlehe fidgeted with his pen

(tr) to cause to fidget

(tr) to cause to worry; make uneasy

noun

(often plural) a state of restlessness or unease, esp as expressed in continual motionhe's got the fidgets

a person who fidgets

Derived forms of fidget

fidgetingly, adverbfidgety, adjective

Word Origin for fidget

C17: from earlier fidge, probably from Old Norse fīkjast to desire eagerly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fidget

Origin of fidget

OTHER WORDS FROM fidget

Words related to fidget

How to use fidget in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fidget

Derived forms of fidget

Word Origin for fidget