tweak

1 of 2

verb

ˈtwēk 

tweaked; tweaking; tweaks

transitive verb

1

: to make usually small adjustments in or to

tweak the controls

especially : fine-tune

2

: to injure slightly

tweaked my knee

3

: to pinch (a person or a body part) lightly or playfully

4

: to pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist : twitch

tweaked a bud from the stem

5

a

: annoy, bother

tweaking the establishment

b

: to criticize especially in a sly or sharp manner

c

: to poke fun at

intransitive verb

1

: pull, pluck

2

: to make small adjustments

tweak

2 of 2

noun

plural tweaks

1

: a small change or adjustment

We made a few tweaks to the original recipe.

Jellyfish collects information about what's happening behind the scenes and rushes it to its corporate clients so they can make investments based on things like forthcoming regulations or tax code tweaks.

—Tim Murphy

They'd try making helpful tweaks to the way my chair faced the computer …

—Lucette Lagnado

2

: a sharp pinch or jerk

a tweak of the nose

Archie laughed, and Rose, seeing a merry blue eye winking at her from behind two brown hands, gave Charlie's ear a friendly tweak …

—Louisa May Alcott

3

: a slight injury causing pain

… it's worth remembering that Pryor is a more dangerous runner than passer, so even a slight tweak of the leg or ankle could be a significant blow to the offense at State College.

—Bob Hunter

Examples of tweak in a Sentence

Verb

We just wanted to tweak his original idea a bit.

He tweaked his ankle playing soccer.

My brother hates it when our grandmother tweaks his cheek.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Head coach Joe Mazzulla called Queta to the bench after less than four minutes and tweaked his rotation from that point forward, deploying the stretchier Luka Garza during Wembanyama’s minutes and using Queta against San Antonio’s more traditional backup center, ex-Celtic Luke Kornet. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026

Given that numerous drivers expressed concerns about the new rules in Melbourne, with some going so far as to point out safety aspects about how this impacts racing, tweaking the rules and changing how the engines work isn’t off the table, either. —Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026

Noun

While the former owner did much to improve the estate during an initial restoration—largely thanks to sculptor, designer, artist, and set designer Hubert Le Gall—the new owner had a few tweaks in mind to bring the manse closer in line with her own aesthetic sensibilities. —Nicolas Milon, Architectural Digest, 8 Mar. 2026

Sweet Venus begins blessing your foundation zone today, reminding you of all the thoughtful tweaks that could make your space feel calmer and more welcoming. —Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably alteration of Middle English twikken to pull sharply, from Old English twiccian to pluck — more at twitch entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1601, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for tweak

• beak
• beek
• bleak
• cheek
• chic
• clique
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• geek
• greek

Kids Definition

tweak

verb

ˈtwēk 

1

: to pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist

2

: to make small adjustments in or to

tweak the controls

3

: to injure slightly

tweak noun