definitions

jitter

[ jit-er ]
/ ˈdʒɪt ər /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jitter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

jitters, nervousness; a feeling of fright or uneasiness (usually preceded by the): Every time I have to make a speech, I get the jitters.
fluctuations in the image on a television screen or in copy received by facsimile transmission, caused by interference or by momentary failures of synchronization.

verb (used without object)

to behave nervously.

RELATED WORDS

throb, pulsate, shudder, shiver, convulse, tremble, gyrate, quiver, wobble, flutter, fret, squirm, twiddle, jiggle, twitch, quail, totter, twitter, move, jar

Nearby words

jird, jirgah, jism, jit, jitney, jitter, jitterbug, jitters, jittery, jiujitsu, jiulong

Origin of jitter

1920–25; variant of chitter to shiver (Middle English chiteren), gradational variant of chatter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jittering

British Dictionary definitions for jittering

jitter

/ (ˈdʒɪtə) informal /

verb

(intr) to be anxious or nervous

noun

the jitters nervousness and anxiety
electronics small rapid variations in the amplitude or timing of a waveform arising from fluctuations in the voltage supply, mechanical vibrations, etc

Word Origin for jitter

C20: of unknown origin
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

Word Origin and History for jittering

jitter

v.

"to move agitatedly," 1931, American English; see jitters. Related: Jittered; jittering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper