twit
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
noun
noun
verb
noun
-
informal a nervous or excitable state
-
rare a reproach; taunt
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
twitsimple
-
twitssimple
-
have twittedperfect
-
has twittedperfect
-
am twittingprogressive
-
are twittingprogressive
-
is twittingprogressive
-
have been twittingperfect progressive
-
has been twittingperfect progressive
Past
-
twittedsimple
-
had twittedperfect
-
was twittingprogressive
-
were twittingprogressive
-
had been twittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of twit1
First recorded in 1520–30; shortened variant of obsolete atwite, Middle English atwiten, Old English ætwītan “to taunt,” equivalent to æt- “at” + wītan “to blame”; see at 1
Origin of twit2
First recorded in 1810–20; origin uncertain
Origin of twit3
First recorded in 1920–25; perhaps originally noun derivative of twit 1, 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
Origin of twit4
First recorded in 1890–95; probably shortened from twitter
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.
Immediately after elevating himself to self-proclaimed chief twit, Musk shoved out chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde, the leader of all things trust and safety.
From Slate • Nov. 20, 2022
"I honestly don't recall, and neither will Aegon," she flatly, frosty replies in a tone that leaves the obvious unsaid: "Two-year-olds have the long-term memory of raw hamburger, you twit."
From Salon • Sep. 5, 2022
You’ll recall that in Season 1 of “Thrones,” the twit Lancel Lannister plied Robert with wine on a hunt, at Cersei’s behest, leaving the king vulnerable to the boar attack that ultimately killed him.
From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2022
It’s that she’s acting like a selfish twit and the show wants us to sit back and shout “Yasss, queen!” as she blows up her life.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2022
She thought about how he did not give a twit about the future, how he thought about the here and now.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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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.