glitch

noun \ ˈglich \

Definition of glitch

1 a :a usually minor malfunction

a glitch in a spacecraft's fuel cell

; also :²bug 2

b :a minor problem that causes a temporary setback :snag

2 :a false or spurious electronic signal

—

glitchy

\ˈgli-chē\ adjective

See glitch defined for English-language learners

See glitch defined for kids

glitch was our Word of the Day on 10/17/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of glitch in a Sentence

Glitches in the speaker's schedule caused some delays.
A technical glitch caused a temporary shutdown.

Recent Examples of glitch from the Web

Levi_valvi posted their findings on ATRL, and although the post and website glitch have since been wiped clean, several people took screenshots of the user's discovery and have posted them on Twitter.

— andrea park, Teen Vogue, "Information About Taylor Swift's "Reputation" Album May Have Been Leaked Before the Official Release," 23 Aug. 2017
A post shared by American Horror Story (@ahsfx) on Aug 4, 2017 at 10:50am PDT The first new teaser might as well double as a back-to-school special, except with a bus full of creepy glitch clowns.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "Everything Is Terrible in the New American Horror Story: Cult Teasers," 10 Aug. 2017
In practice, the team’s malware would create a glitch that most sequencing centers would spot and fix.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "These Scientists Took Over a Computer by Encoding Malware in DNA," 10 Aug. 2017
That call didn't happen during a major outage, but city officials say dispatchers have experienced several smaller glitches periodically.

— sharon coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "In Cincinnati, if you call 911 will somebody answer?," 6 Aug. 2017
The evening’s other minor glitch occurred when Bennett and guitarist Gray Sargent started a duet in which each chose a different song.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Yes, Tony Bennett still sings grandly at 91," 5 Aug. 2017
Travel glitches on a carrier like Spirit or Frontier are often compounded because those airlines typically don’t fly their routes as frequently as the larger, network airlines.

— justin bachman, Bloomberg.com, "What Do You Want, Cheap Airfare or an On-Time Flight?," 31 July 2017
Officials in the polling stations will adjudicate in case of glitches.

— The Economist, "How to unrig an electionNew methods and technology can make elections fairer," 20 July 2017
The glitches are the latest in a series of problems with the city’s water system that serves approximately 46,000 residential customers.

— brian ballou, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hollywood meter glitches let residents get water for free; now they must pay back," 13 July 2017

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

Did You Know?

There's a glitch in the etymology of glitch - the origins of the word are not known for sure, though it may derive from the Yiddish glitsh, meaning "slippery place." The first documented use of glitch in print in English is found in astronaut John Glenn's 1962 book Into Orbit. In it he wrote, "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, you don't have to be an astronaut to be familiar with the word glitch, which can be used of any minor malfunction or snag.

Origin and Etymology of glitch

perhaps from Yiddish glitsh slippery place, from glitshn (zikh) to slide, glide; akin to Old High German glītan to glide — more at glide

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1958

See Words from the same year

GLITCH Defined for English Language Learners

glitch

noun

Definition of glitch for English Language Learners

: an unexpected and usually minor problem; especially : a minor problem with a machine or device (such as a computer)

GLITCH Defined for Kids

glitch

noun \ ˈglich \

Definition of glitch for Students

:a usually minor problem

Learn More about glitch

See words that rhyme with glitch Spanish Central: Translation of glitch Nglish: Translation of glitch for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of glitch for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about glitch

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up glitch? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

glitch

Definition of glitch

glitchy

glitch was our Word of the Day on 10/17/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of glitch in a Sentence

Recent Examples of glitch from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of glitch

GLITCH Defined for English Language Learners

glitch

Definition of glitch for English Language Learners

GLITCH Defined for Kids

glitch

Definition of glitch for Students

Learn More about glitch

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

hew

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

'Regimen' vs. 'Regiment'

'Spox' May Go On The Record

Ask the Editors

Words of the Year: 1066

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Irregardless

Weird Plurals

Word Games

The Exceptions Quiz III

Forms of Government Quiz

Spell It

Syn City

The Exceptions Quiz III

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066

glitch

Definition of glitch

glitchy

Read the Latest from M-W

glitch was our Word of the Day on 10/17/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of glitch in a Sentence

Recent Examples of glitch from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of glitch

GLITCH Defined for English Language Learners

glitch

Definition of glitch for English Language Learners

GLITCH Defined for Kids

glitch

Definition of glitch for Students

Learn More about glitch

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Exceptions Quiz III

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066