quirk

[ kwurk ]
See synonyms for: quirkquirks on Thesaurus.com

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

  2. a shift, subterfuge, or evasion; quibble.

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

  2. a flourish or showy stroke, as in writing.

  3. 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.

  4. Obsolete. a clever or witty remark; quip.

adjective
  1. formed with a quirk or channel, as a molding.

Origin of quirk

1
First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

synonym study For quirk

1. See eccentricity.

Words that may be confused with quirk

Words Nearby quirk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use quirk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quirk

quirk

/ (kwɜːk) /


noun
  1. an individual peculiarity of character; mannerism or foible

  2. an unexpected twist or turn: a quirk of fate

  1. a continuous groove in an architectural moulding

  2. a flourish, as in handwriting

Origin of quirk

1
C16: of unknown origin

Derived forms of quirk

  • quirky, adjective
  • quirkily, adverb
  • quirkiness, noun

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