fidget

fidg·et | \ ˈfi-jət

How to pronounce fidget (audio)

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Definition of fidget

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2 [fidget entry 2] : one that fidgets

fidget

fidgeted; fidgeting; fidgets

Definition of fidget (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to move or act restlessly or nervously

transitive verb

: to cause to move or act nervously

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about fidget

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Examples of fidget in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun North Carolina Republican Richard Burr handed out fidget spinners to his colleagues during the pre-trial lunch and brought an squishy orange stress ball with him on the Senate floor. — Daniel Flatley, Bloomberg.com, "Fidget Spinners and Quick Breaks: Senators Fight Impeachment Trial Fatigue," 10 May 2020 Sometimes, classes for the younger students start with a vigorous session of jumping jacks to get the fidgets out. — Georgann Yara, azcentral, "Future Kiddie uses computers to combine learning and play and bring STEM into schools," 5 Apr. 2020 Avraham Eisenberg, a New York wholesaler who is trying to ship masks from China, compared the rush for masks to the fad several years ago for fidget spinners. — Jack Nicas, New York Times, "It’s Bedlam in the Mask Market, as Profiteers Out-Hustle Good Samaritans," 3 Apr. 2020 The most obvious product to combat this is a fidget spinner. — Isabelle Kagan, USA TODAY, "10 products to keep you from touching your face," 13 Mar. 2020 Donation to fidgeters: On Feb. 21, four members of the Fidget Quilt Circle of LifeSpring Community Church delivered 18 fidget quilts to the Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities Children’s Services Department. — Sam Boyer, cleveland, "One lesson was a cut above the rest: Whit & Whimsey," 6 Mar. 2020 During the lunch break on Thursday, Senator Richard M. Burr, Republican of North Carolina, passed out fidget spinners for his 52 Republican colleagues, the better to pass the time. — New York Times, "Senators Battle a Persistent Impeachment Foe: Their Own Restlessness," 23 Jan. 2020 Richard Burr is once again sockless, but today neither he nor any other senator could be seen using a fidget spinner. — NBC News, "Senate gavels out after a short opening day for Trump's defense," 25 Jan. 2020 Several have been spotted passing the time playing with fidget spinners while Democratic House managers gave their opening statements. — Sophie Lewis, CBS News, "Senators use fidget spinners and stress balls to relieve boredom during Trump impeachment trial," 24 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb After being warned for taking more than the allotted 25 seconds between serves, Kyrgios mimicked how Nadal fidgets before a point, as if to remind the chair umpire that there are folks who more egregiously waste time. — Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, "Never a dull moment as Nick Kyrgios advances to third round at Australian Open," 23 Jan. 2020 Activities that qualify as NEAT include walking to work, gardening, fidgeting, cleaning, parking the car a bit farther away from the store, and so on. — Stefani Sassos, Ms, Rdn, Cso, Good Housekeeping, "How to Fix a Sedentary Lifestyle (Because It's Never Too Late to Get Moving)," 17 Mar. 2020 The young Kenyan in his twenties is nervous, fidgeting in his expensive white sneakers. — David Mckenzie, Brent Swails And Idris Mukhtar, CNN, "How 'fake' refugees from Kenya got settled in the US and Europe," 9 Oct. 2019 The motorist began fidgeting around the glove box after the officer asked for his license and insurance card. — cleveland, "Weed may not be hers, but it’s in her purse: Middleburg Heights Police Blotter," 5 Mar. 2020 For everyone else, this phone has a host of downsides that just aren't worth it: a higher price, reduced durability, smaller batteries, an awkward fingerprint reader, and a form factor that requires two-hands to open and lots of fidgeting to use. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review—I think I hate flip phones," 28 Feb. 2020 Repeatedly fidgeting and mopping his brow, Fray looked ill at ease in No. 2, and this showed up in occasional patches of rushing. — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, "Five pianists, Fort Worth Symphony perform all five Beethoven piano concertos," 5 Jan. 2020 Instead, the president is seen fidgeting, pointing around the room, straightening his jacket, and at one point waving his fingers in the air as if conducting an invisible orchestra. — BostonGlobe.com, "Trump said everyone should ‘stand proudly’ for anthem. He fidgeted and air-conducted at his Super Bowl party.," 4 Feb. 2020 From the Associated Press: Democrats roll out impeachment case as senators fidget. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Briefing: Policing hospital wards instead of city streets," 23 Jan. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

20 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Fidget.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fidget. Accessed 3 Jun. 2020.

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