to tug or pull at with a quick, short movement; pluck.
She twitched him by the sleeve.
to jerk rapidly.
The rider twitched the reins a couple of times.
to move (a part of the body) with a sudden, jerking motion.
to pinch or pull at sharply and painfully; give a smarting pinch to; nip.
to move spasmodically or convulsively; jerk; jump.
to give a sharp, sudden pull; tug; pluck (usually followed byat ).
He constantly twitched at his collar.
to ache or hurt with a sharp, shooting pain; twinge.
That back tooth twitches a bit.
a quick, jerky movement of the body or of some part of it.
involuntary, spasmodic movement of a muscle; tic.
He gets a twitch in his left eye when he's nervous.
a short, sudden pull or tug; jerk.
a bodily or mental twinge, as of pain, conscience, etc.; pang.
a loop or noose placed over the muzzle of a horse and tightened by twisting a stick or handle to which it is attached, used as a restraining device during a painful operation.
to move or cause to move in a jerky spasmodic way
(tr) to pull or draw (something) with a quick jerky movement
(intr) to hurt with a sharp spasmodic pain
rare (tr) to nip
a sharp jerking movement
a mental or physical twinge
a sudden muscular spasm, esp one caused by a nervous condition Compare tic
a loop of cord used to control a horse by drawing it tight about its upper lip
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English twicchen (verb); akin to Old English twiccian “to pluck”; cognate with German zwicken “to pinch”
To twitch is to make a very sudden, brief, unintentional movement. Your eye muscles might start to twitch when you're extremely tired. Back in the 12th century, instead of using the word twitch, you would've used to-twic-chen, which was defined as "pulling apart with a quick jerk." It stemmed from the Old English twiccian, "to pluck, gather, or catch hold of." Today, we use twitch as a noun too, to mean the jerky spasm itself: "She tried not to laugh, but he could see a twitch in her lip."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her performance is a cross between an AA meeting and The Exorcist, as dancers in plastic chairs twitch and shake to the song's ever-changing tempo.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
“Even the smallest twitch is causing wild swings in all corners of the market,” he added.
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
Over time, their muscles developed more slow twitch fibers, which are linked to greater endurance.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 9, 2026
The high-strung kid is pure nerve and he even looks like one, too; he’s the embodiment of a twitch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
I take a seat nearby, watch Emery’s leg twitch now and then, and listen to the buzz of the ink scratching into her skin.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
You can watch Critical Role’s actual play productions on Twitch, YouTube or see animated versions of their campaigns in the form of “The Legend of Vox Machina” and “The Mighty Nein.”
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
Online influencers discuss Polymarket, and sometimes trade, during live video feeds that can last for hours on platforms like Twitch and Kick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
However, it says its restrictions will closely follow Australia's - where the above apps plus Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch are banned for under-16s.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Last month she was among the celebrities who launched Chelsea's new home kit for the 2026-27 season when she appeared in a Twitch stream alongside British influencer Gymskin.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
“She doesn’t like thunder,” repeated Twitch, whose long ears were excellent for hearing the caribou’s comment.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
“There were moments, there were twitches, there were things — I thought I was having pinched nerves in my neck, and they were quite frequent,” Andrews said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Mice receiving 4e showed significantly fewer head twitches, which scientists use as a reliable indicator of psychedelic-like activity in rodents, than mice treated with psilocybin.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2026
She experiences motor twitches, such as jaw jerks, vocal tics and coprolalia - involuntarily using obscene or offensive language - which she says can be "embarrassing" when she's in public.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
At 7 inches tall, this hare pitcher, hand painted one strand of fur at a time, is so lifelike it nearly twitches its nose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
A tiny smile twitches at the corners of my mouth as I remember that seven-year-old girl with her ribbons flying about.
From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince
She had been struggling with an ankle injury and said she "twitched" her neck during podium training on Thursday.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2024
As the hours went on, Spiderman twitched less.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 29, 2023
Deb Dauphinais, a dive instructor, said she thought the shark was dead, but when it twitched she motioned for her husband to come over and help.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
He occasionally twitched his head or shook his hands.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2023
She studied me, then looked at Chestnutt, who twitched an ear.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Someone might have blepharospasms, a dystonia affecting the muscles around the eyes, which results in uncontrollable twitching and blinking.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
We glided along the crowded test route, the steering wheel twitching with small, silent, necessary adjustments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
And right now, with the yield curve doing interpretive dance and credit spreads twitching like a politician’s eye during a deposition, banks have decided that the most profitable thing they can do is absolutely nothing.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 5, 2025
In the dock, Filipov, 36, cut a gaunt but muscular figure, twitching slightly like a boxer before a fight as he attempted to defuse awkward questions about his tattoos.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
"S-s-ssh!" said Bree, craning his neck round and twitching his ears.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
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.
