Did you know?
There's a glitch in the etymology of glitch—it may come from the Yiddish glitsh, meaning "slippery place," but that's not certain. Print use of glitch referring to a brief unexpected surge of electrical current dates to the mid-20th century. Astronaut John Glenn, in his 1962 book Into Orbit, felt the need to explain the term to his readers: "Literally, a glitch is a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit which takes place when the circuit suddenly has a new load put on it." Today, the word can be used of any minor malfunction or snag. If you’re a gamer you might even take advantage of a glitch that causes something unexpected, and sometimes beneficial, to happen in the game.
Examples of glitch in a Sentence
Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 6 June 2025
Google's glitch may have been tied to traffic forecasts rather than current traffic reports.
—Ashley Belanger – May 30, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
With a speedy 165Hz refresh rate that can lock to AMD graphics cards to reduce glitches, and sharp WQHD resolution, this is a decent display that looks even better with a 33% discount.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 May 2025
How will the agency avoid technical glitches in May?
When prospective applicants join the waiting room on May 29, they’ll automatically be directed to a virtual waiting room that is separate from the program’s website.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for glitch
Cite this Entry
“Glitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glitch. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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glitch
noun
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