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Synonyms

twerp

American  
[twurp] / twɜrp /
Or twirp

noun

Slang.

  1. an insignificant or despicable fellow.

    Her father thinks her boyfriend is just a twerp.
twerp British  
/ twɜːp /

noun

  1. informal a silly, weak-minded, or contemptible person

"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

Other Word Forms

  • twerpy adjective

Etymology

Origin of twerp

First recorded in 1920–25; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On the other hand, Boy Kavalier is such an evil twerp that you want him to stay around long enough to earn the outcome he deserves, whatever that ends up being.

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2025

Aegon, now played by Tom Glynn-Carney, has graduated from silly twerp to vile lout.

From New York Times • Oct. 9, 2022

It’s one thing for the league to put up with a dissolute twerp who is sure to deliver a doormat team and who can be fleeced out of high draft choices with laughable ease.

From Washington Post • Aug. 26, 2020

There was Jody, the redheaded twerp on the ’60s sitcom Family Affair.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2016

I think the little twerp is just trying to get my sympathy.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.