tic

noun

ˈtik 

1

: local and habitual spasmodic motion of particular muscles especially of the face : twitching

2

: a frequent usually unconscious quirk of behavior or speech

"you know" is a verbal tic

Synonyms of tic

• trick
• trait
• characteristic
• mannerism
• quirk
• idiosyncrasy
• eccentricity
• habit
• peculiarity
• singularity

Examples of tic in a Sentence

The verbal tic “you know” often occurs in her speech.

constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics

Recent Examples on the Web

The incident sparked a firestorm of anger, much focussed on the BBC for not removing Davidson’s tic from its broadcast. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026

In the mid-2010s, Young Thug borrowed from Future’s melodic blueprint, only for Future to co-opt Thug’s avant-garde vocal tics to get even weirder in his own right. —Serge Selenou, Pitchfork, 3 Mar. 2026

Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show, however the BBC failed to censor the N-word during its broadcast, causing further harm. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026

Davidson has coprolalia, where one’s involuntary tics are offensive and inappropriate. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

circa 1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tic

• tic douloureux
• tic-tac-toe

Rhymes for tic

• bick
• brick
• chick
• click
• fick
• flick
• hick
• kick
• knick
• lick
• mic
• nick

Kids Definition

tic

noun

ˈtik 

1

: a regularly repeated twitching movement of a particular muscle and especially one of the face

2

: a particular form of behavior or speech that is often repeated

"you know" is a verbal tic

Medical Definition

tic

noun

ˈtik 

1

: local and habitual spasmodic motion of particular muscles especially of the face : twitching

2

: a habitual usually unconscious quirk of behavior or speech