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twit

1
[ twit ]
/ twɪt /
|
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verb (used with object), twit·ted, twit·ting.

to taunt, tease, ridicule, etc., with reference to anything embarrassing; gibe at.
to reproach or upbraid.

noun

an act of twitting.
a derisive reproach; taunt; gibe.

RELATED WORDS

rag, laugh, deride, jest, takeoff, rally, jolly, rib, caricature, jape, josh, quiz, lampoon, haze, travesty, pan, scorn, humiliate, pooh-pooh, banter

Nearby words

twisted stomach worm, twister, twisting, twistingly, twisty, twit, twitch, twitch grass, twitcher, twitching trail, twitchy

Origin of twit

1
1520–30; aphetic variant of obsolete atwite, Middle English atwiten, Old English ætwītan to taunt, equivalent to æt- at1 + wītan to blame

Definition for twit (2 of 4)

twit

2
[ twit ]
/ twɪt /

noun

a weak or thin place in yarn caused by uneven spinning.

Origin of twit

2
First recorded in 1810–20; origin uncertain

Definition for twit (3 of 4)

twit

3
[ twit ]
/ twɪt /

noun Informal.

an insignificant, silly, or bothersome person: Pay no attention to that obnoxious little twit!

Origin of twit

3
1920–25; perhaps orig. noun derivative of twit1, i.e., “one who twits others,” but altered in sense by association with expressive words with tw- (twaddle, twat, twerp, etc.) and by rhyme with nitwit

Definition for twit (4 of 4)

twit

4
[ twit ]
/ twɪt /

noun Informal.

a confused, excited state: to be in a twit about company coming.

Origin of twit

4
probably shortened from twitter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for twit

British Dictionary definitions for twit (1 of 2)

twit

1
/ (twɪt) /

verb twits, twitting or twitted

(tr) to tease, taunt, or reproach, often in jest

noun

US and Canadian informal a nervous or excitable state
rare a reproach; taunt

Word Origin for twit

Old English ætwītan, from æt against + wītan to accuse; related to Old High German wīzan to punish

British Dictionary definitions for twit (2 of 2)

twit

2
/ (twɪt) /

noun

informal, mainly British a foolish or stupid person; idiot

Word Origin for twit

C19: from twit 1 (originally in the sense: a person given to twitting)
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