quirk

[ kwurk ]

/ kwɜrk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quirk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism: He is full of strange quirks.

a shift, subterfuge, or evasion; quibble.

a sudden twist or turn: He lost his money by a quirk of fate.

a flourish or showy stroke, as in writing.

Architecture.

an acute angle or channel, as one dividing two parts of a molding or one dividing a flush bead from the adjoining surfaces.
an area taken from a larger area, as a room or a plot of ground.
an enclosure for this area.

Obsolete. a clever or witty remark; quip.

adjective

formed with a quirk or channel, as a molding.

Nearby words

quipu, quire, quirinal, quirinus, quirites, quirk, quirky, quirt, quis custodiet ipsos custodes?, quis separabit?, quisling

Origin of quirk

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

SYNONYMS FOR quirk

1 See eccentricity.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quirk ON THESAURUS.COM

Can be confused

quark quirk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quirk

Kevin Fallon on the quirk of history that demands two swearing-in ceremonies for this particular president.
Obama’s Secret Sunday Inauguration: Everything You Need to Know|Kevin Fallon|January 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As a tempting virgin she was able to live long enough to be saved, but this was the quirk of a market controlled by foreigners.
‘Taken 2’s’ Crazy Sexual Politics!|Tracy Quan|October 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A quirk in two political-prediction markets has created a (practically) no-lose investment opportunity—almost $100, for free.
How to Make Free Money Betting on the 2012 Presidential Election|Alex Klein|September 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Banville seemed to be running on empty with that book, but Quirk has energized him (four Quirke novels since 2006).
Can Pulp Win the Booker?|Allen Barra|September 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST

With a clever brush Madame put a quirk in his eyebrows that completed the portrait.
Molly Brown's College Friends|Nell Speed
Was it the strong connection of contrast, or was it a quirk of my brain?
The Story of an Untold Love|Paul Leicester Ford
Quirk dashed to his assistance with about the same number of men, and the enemy was driven completely away.
History of Morgan's Cavalry|Basil W. Duke
Massa Quirk mighty good just on de ebe of lebin de business.
The Brother Clerks|Xariffa
Quirk rose from his seat, and took two or three turns about the room in silence, Gammon watching him calmly.
Ten Thousand a-Year. Volume 1.|Samuel Warren

British Dictionary definitions for quirk

quirk

/ (kwɜːk) /

noun

an individual peculiarity of character; mannerism or foible

an unexpected twist or turna quirk of fate

a continuous groove in an architectural moulding

a flourish, as in handwriting

Derived Forms

quirky, adjectivequirkily, adverbquirkiness, noun

Word Origin for quirk

C16: 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

quirk

noun

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of quirk

SYNONYMS FOR quirk

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for quirk

British Dictionary definitions for quirk

quirk

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for quirk