fidget

play

noun fidg·et \ ˈfi-jət \

Definition of fidget

1 :uneasiness or restlessness as shown by nervous movements —usually used in plural

[²fidget]

:one that fidgets

See fidget defined for kids

Recent Examples of fidget from the Web

There were dozens of manufacturers offering fidget spinners in whatever quantity a buyer desired.

— charles duhigg, New York Times, "The Rise of the Fidget Spinner and the Fall of the Well-Managed Fad," 15 Aug. 2017
The fidget spinners aren’t the only toys Shula has in Spartanburg.

— joseph person, charlotteobserver, "Mike Shula too busy with fidget spinners, Panthers’ ‘new’ offense to care what you think," 12 Aug. 2017
Cavani realising the danger Neymar is in, throws the fidget spinner like a ninja star, killing one of the kidnappers.

— SI.com, "VIDEO: Italian Side AS Roma Release Another Hilarious Video Following Neymar's Record Move to PSG," 5 Aug. 2017
The baked clay artifact boasts the now-familiar triplet design of the ubiquitous fidget spinners, with a small hole in the center.

— raisa bruner, Time, "The Internet Is Reeling From the Discovery of This Ancient Fidget Spinner Lookalike," 2 Aug. 2017
This isn't the only wacky way beauty obsessives can get their fidget spinner fix.

— melissa minton, Allure, "Lush Cosmetics Creates Fidget Spinner Bubble Bar," 31 July 2017
If Nero fiddled as the world burned, we in 2017 fidget-spinned—and made memes about it.

— chelsea peng, Marie Claire, "The 11 Most Essential Memes of 2017," 20 July 2017
Cut to present day, and colette currently carries fidget spinners (though it might be sold out), alongside its more fashion-y merch, like Vetements.

— andrea cheng, Billboard, "Colette Closing: Why, Days Later, Pop Culture is Still Reeling," 14 July 2017
And now, ICYMI, fidget spinners are heading to Sephora.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "Fidget Spinner Lip Balm Is Coming to Sephora, Because the Internet Has Won," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fidget.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fidget

irregular from fidge

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1674

See Words from the same year

fidget

verb

Definition of fidget

intransitive verb

:to move or act restlessly or nervously

transitive verb

:to cause to move or act nervously

See fidget defined for English-language learners

Examples of fidget in a Sentence

He was constantly fidgeting in his chair.
small children are likely to fidget in church

Recent Examples of fidget from the Web

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula has had a couple of new toys to play with during training camp ... fidget spinners his sixth-grade daughter gave him when they were banned from her middle school.

— joseph person, charlotteobserver, "Mike Shula too busy with fidget spinners, Panthers’ ‘new’ offense to care what you think," 12 Aug. 2017
In a dress that would have most wearers fidgeting with their straps and yanking up their necklines, BadGal Riri remains poised and effortless.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Rihanna Stylishly Avoids a Nip Slip in This Sultry Red Dress," 24 July 2017
Verbs Songs fidget, cycling movie mockuments, interpreters keep mum, test scores tick up.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: Meet and Diverge," 7 July 2017
For those people lucky enough to live in Korea, the Folder Flip 2 will provide the enduring satisfaction of fidgeting with the flippable and foldable staple of many awkward teen years.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "The Flip Phone Might Be Making a Comeback," 28 June 2017
The thing that stands out in watching their interaction is the seemingly involuntary fluidity with which Scott repeatedly reaches out to soothe Gregory, who stops fidgeting only to watch the crowd for seconds at a time.

— kevin acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Every Sunday at Padres games is Father's Day," 16 June 2017
The three big trends of 2017: fidget spinners, male rompers and brands pulling their ads from undesirable content.

— lara o’reilly, WSJ, "CMO Today: Snap Launches More Ad Tools; J.P. Morgan Pulls Ads from NBC Over Megyn Kelly Interview," 13 June 2017
Madrigal fidgeted to draw third baseman Richard Slenker's attention before his throw to first base, which short-hopped and bounced off Dey's glove.

— danny moran, OregonLive.com, "Oregon State baseball advances to super regionals after drilling Yale on second consecutive night," 5 June 2017
As if worrying about funding and quality teachers weren’t enough, now schools on both sides of the Atlantic are dealing with a mighty serious problem of another sort: fidget spinners and their cousins, fidget cubes.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "Schools are banning fidget spinners, calling them nuisances and even dangerous," 1 June 2017