twitter

¹ American  

[twit-er] / ˈtwɪt ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to utter a succession of small, tremulous sounds, as a bird.

2. to talk lightly and rapidly, especially of trivial matters; chatter.

3. to titter; giggle.

4. to tremble with excitement or the like; be in a flutter.

5. Digital Technology. tweet.

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verb (used with object)

1. to express or utter by twittering.

noun

1. an act of twittering.

2. a twittering sound.

3. a state of tremulous excitement.

   Synonyms:

   fluster, tizzy, flutter

Twitter ² American  

Trademark.

1. a brand name for a social media service and website where registered users may post text that is limited to a certain number of characters, as well as links, photos, or videos.

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twitter ¹ British  

/ ˈtwɪtə /

verb

1. (intr) (esp of a bird) to utter a succession of chirping sounds

2. (intr) to talk or move rapidly and tremulously

3. (intr) to giggle

   her schoolmates twittered behind their desks

4. (tr) to utter in a chirping way

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noun

1. a twittering sound, esp of a bird

2. the act of twittering

3. a state of nervous excitement (esp in the phrase in a twitter )

Twitter ² British  

/ ˈtwɪtə /

noun

1. a website where people can post short messages about their current activities

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verb

1. (intr; sometimes not capital) to write a short message on the Twitter website

Other Word Forms

• twitterer noun
• twitteringly adverb
• twittery adjective

Etymology

Origin of twitter

1325–75; Middle English twiteren (v.); akin to German zwitschern

Explanation

To twitter is to make a sound like a bird's trill or chirp. One of the nicest things about spring is the sound of birds as they twitter in the trees. Tweet tweet! When birds twitter, they make a staccato, musical chirping sound. You can call this sound itself a twitter too. Sometimes the word is used to describe a similar sound made by chattering humans. In the fourteenth century, the word was twiteren, developed from an imitation of the sound that twittering birds make. Twitter is also a social media website founded in 2006, on which people post 140-character bursts of information called tweets. Wonder where they got that idea.

Example Sentences

“Re: my father: well, now you know why I refused to give him the password to his own twitter account for a decade lol” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2024

"For us she is Ashling. For many her story will haunt the internet through clickbait articles, trending twitter threads and invasive podcast episodes, using the contents of her story for popularity."

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2023

“Soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” he wrote.

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2023

“And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” Musk tweeted Sunday.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 24, 2023

It came, a twitter, a coo, a subdued roar that seemed trying to tell me something, give me some message.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Related Words

• cheep
• chirp
• chirrup
• peep