twitch
verb (used with object)
to tug or pull at with a quick, short movement; pluck.
twitch
1 American
[twich]
/ twɪtʃ /
verb (used with object)
-
twitches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
twitched,
past participle, past
-
twitching
present participle
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
twitches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
twitched,
past participle, past
-
twitching
present participle
-
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.
noun
-
twitches
plural
-
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.
Twitch
2
American
[twich]
/ twɪtʃ /
Trademark.
twitch
British
/ twɪtʃ /
verb
-
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
noun
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
twitchsimple
-
twitchessimple
-
have twitchedperfect
-
has twitchedperfect
-
am twitchingprogressive
-
are twitchingprogressive
-
is twitchingprogressive
-
have been twitchingperfect progressive
-
has been twitchingperfect progressive
Past
-
twitchedsimple
-
had twitchedperfect
-
was twitchingprogressive
-
were twitchingprogressive
-
had been twitchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of twitch
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English twicchen (verb); akin to Old English twiccian “to pluck”; cognate with German zwicken “to pinch”
Explanation
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."
Vocabulary lists containing twitch
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.
See Examples For:
Because D5 fully activated the same receptor targeted by psychedelics, the scientists expected it to produce head twitch responses in mice, a widely used indicator of hallucinogenic-like effects.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026
For decades, encountering such a scene, I used to stop, then wait to see a leg twitch, a chest rise.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
"Every time he gets an opportunity it's quick twitch and ready to go. I've never seen a guy who prepares himself every day like he's gonna start and play 48 minutes."
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
His face is so expressive, every twitch will reach the back row of an audience.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025
As he did, he noticed Mr. Kravitz's hand begin to twitch.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Last month, the musicians streamed a concert from Twitch superstar Kai Cenat’s house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
They also launched legal action against a French influencer on Twitch who urged his hundreds of thousands of followers to take part in the demonstration "war zone".
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Chipotle’s latest tie-in with a creator is a bowl with Twitch streamer Pokimane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The post included a brief clip of the encounter, which took place as Castro was live on Twitch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
It’s conceivable that Twitch will want to do some baking in the morning, but she might not.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
They also needed to avoid assuming that the observed eye movements and muscle twitches necessarily represented the same processes seen during human REM sleep.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 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
His nose twitches are as dramatic as an ingenue’s gasp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025
His mouth twitches, as if he's swallowing the words: She knows me, too.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
During a videotaped electroenchephalogram to test Linton for possible epileptic episodes, Linton also jerked and twitched on six different occasions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
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
The rear twitched through the long right-hander at Turn Seven; Leclerc caught it but could not stop the car nosing into the barriers.
From BBC ● May 5, 2023
The kit’s nose twitched as he snuffed around.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
When CBN was withdrawn, the mice also displayed physical symptoms resembling withdrawal, including head twitching and paw fluttering.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
It all culminated for Kerr with listening to Flower of Scotland playing while he stood, bottom lip twitching, on the podium.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Someone might have blepharospasms, a dystonia affecting the muscles around the eyes, which results in uncontrollable twitching and blinking.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
That left the fingers twitching fruitlessly, but even a failed attempt creates data that will be used in training.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025
All the time he was pacing, his shoulders kept twitching forward, one or the other or both—a sure sign—and every minute or two he stopped to scratch his head hard and fast.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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