tweak

[ tweek ]

/ twik /

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See synonyms for: tweak / tweaked / tweaking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to pinch and pull with a jerk and twist: She playfully tweaked his ear.I tweaked my bowtie again, but it stayed stubbornly crooked.

to pull or pinch the nose of, especially gently: He leaned over the stroller and tweaked the baby affectionately.

to make a minor adjustment to: Bad hardware can't be fixed by tweaking the software.

to annoy, tease, or make fun of: How much of her “dumb blonde” image was actually a brilliant performer tweaking the stuffed shirts?

verb (used without object)

Slang.

to use methamphetamine, cocaine, or other stimulant drugs: He'll try to avoid taking a drug test if he's been tweaking and toking.
to engage in wildly excited or agitated behavior under the influence of such drugs (usually followed by out): If I'd seen someone else acting this way I would have thought they were tweaking on meth.

noun

an act or instance of tweaking; a sharp, twisting pull or jerk: "Thought it was you," she said, greeting him with a tweak on the nose.

a minor adjustment: Here are 12 simple tweaks to speed up your computer.

Verb Phrases

tweak out,

to extract by pinching and pulling with a jerk, as with tweezers: In a twinkling she had tweaked out a dozen hairs and put them in an evidence bag.
to remove (defects or unwanted features) by means of a minor adjustment: You have a couple of bugs to tweak out from your website, but you’re on the right track.
to effect (an improvement) by means of minor adjustments: They were able to tweak out some pretty hefty performance improvements to the sound system.
to optimize in this way: My operating system isn’t tweaked out the way I like, but it's running, stable enough, and ready for use.
Slang. to engage in wildly excited or agitated behavior under the influence of methamphetamine, cocaine, or other stimulant drugs: She grabbed a knife and waved it around while tweaking out on crystal meth.He showed up shirtless and barefoot, tweaked out on cocaine.
Slang. to make or become wildly excited or agitated; freak (someone) out: I decided not to tell my kids what I’d done so they wouldn't tweak out about it.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

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Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

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Origin of tweak

First recorded in 1595–1605; akin to twitch

OTHER WORDS FROM tweak

tweak·er, noun

Words nearby tweak

'twas, twat, twattle, T wave, twayblade, tweak, tweaker, tweaking, twee, tweed, Tweeddale

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

How to use tweak in a sentence

Fortunately, scientists are already making those tweaks, by developing finer-grained computer models that do a better job capturing how the atmosphere churns in real life.
Improved three-week weather forecasts could save lives from disaster|Alexandra Witze|August 27, 2020|Science News
If not, you’ll have to play around with the above tweaks to get things close enough.
How to fix that annoying audio delay on your soundbar|Whitson Gordon|August 25, 2020|Popular-Science
That genetic tweak merely supplied a marker that would identify irradiated insects but didn’t change any fertility genes.
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been OK’d for a first U.S. test flight|Susan Milius|August 22, 2020|Science News
They’re also working on tweaks to the manufacturing process to boost speeds and bring down costs.
Scientists Found a Way to Turn Bricks Into Batteries|Edd Gent|August 17, 2020|Singularity Hub

From lighting tricks to background arrangements to your intonation, we cover all the small tweaks you can make to have a big impact in our new virtual meeting rooms.
How to ace your next online presentation|Jackie Bischof|July 3, 2020|Quartz
Paul has advised that America should resist those who want to “tweak Russia all the time.”
Rand Paul Gives War a Chance|Olivia Nuzzi|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But they do need to tweak the formula so that it stays relevant.
Burger King’s New French Fries Took Ten Years to Develop|Daniel Gross|September 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Juicy J claims the label wanted them to tweak their sound, transitioning from their crunk roots to more pop-oriented material.
Juicy J, Oscar-Winning Former Three 6 Mafia Rapper, on His Triumphant Return|Marlow Stern|May 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Which is to say, it would probably be easy for companies to slightly tweak what they are doing and go on paying very little tax.
Congress to Grill Apple CEO About Taxes|Megan McArdle|May 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was ready to tweak the cost-of-living formula for Social Security.
Lessons From the Fiscal Cliff: the Political Fallout|Robert Shrum|January 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She had traveled the world; she had danced with kings, and had made two popes laugh and tweak her pointed chin.
The Cup of Fury|Rupert Hughes
He tweaked the string and his tweak was met with uncompromising resistance.
The Incredible Honeymoon|E. Nesbit
Brown had never disclosed the brutal delinquency of Long Bill Tweak.
Every Man for Himself|Norman Duncan
"I guess they were, old man," returned Roger, leaning forward to tweak his ear affectionately.
Ethel Morton at Chautauqua|Mabell S. C. Smith
No, by heavens, I would tweak the nose of a small sprig of royalty itself.
The Cavaliers of Virginia, vol. 1 of 2|William A. Caruthers

British Dictionary definitions for tweak

tweak

/ (twiːk) /

verb (tr)

to twist, jerk, or pinch with a sharp or sudden movementto tweak someone's nose

motor racing slang to tune (a car or engine) for peak performance

informal to make a minor alteration

noun

an instance of tweaking

informal a minor alteration

Derived forms of tweak

tweaky, adjective

Word Origin for tweak

Old English twiccian; related to Old High German zwecchōn; see twitch

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

tweak

Origin of tweak

OTHER WORDS FROM tweak

Words nearby tweak

Words related to tweak

How to use tweak in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tweak

Derived forms of tweak

Word Origin for tweak