glitch

\ ˈglich

How to pronounce glitch (audio)

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Definition of glitch

1a : a usually minor malfunction a glitch in a spacecraft's fuel cell also : bug entry 1 sense 2

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

2 : a false or spurious electronic signal

Other Words from glitch Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about glitch

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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.

Examples of glitch in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web Did the editors not notice the glitch, or was this an intentional choice? — Jenny Singer, Glamour, "The Kissing Booth 2 Has an Editing Mistake You Probably Didn’t Notice," 3 Aug. 2020 The highest report of new cases in a single day so far has been 5,501, on July 16, but that included a backlog of more than 4,800 over two weeks because of a glitch in the state’s reporting lab results to Metro Health. — Elizabeth Zavala, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio reports 16 more deaths from the novel coronavirus," 2 Aug. 2020 The company has said that this was a temporary technical glitch. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, "Why America Is Afraid of TikTok," 30 July 2020 When a glitch on the app resulted in zeroed-out like counts, people took to Twitter and Google in a seeming panic to see if these were the early signs of a TikTok shutdown. — Michelle Santiago Cortés, refinery29.com, "Is TikTok Really Going To Get Banned In The United States?," 13 July 2020 Labor has been working to correct that survey glitch, Oxford says, a change that could mean a smaller-than-expected drop in the jobless rate in June. — Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, "3.1M jobs likely were added in June as states reopen even as COVID-19 layoffs continue," 1 July 2020 The widespread service glitch seemingly stems from an issue with Facebook's software developer kit, or SDK, for iPhone users. — Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Spotify, Pinterest and TikTok not working for thousands of iPhone users," 11 July 2020 But officials now believe the problem with absentee ballots requested on those days stems from a computer glitch with the system that prepares and prints absentee ballot mailing labels. — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Absentee ballots didn't get counted because of late delivery, misdelivery and bad postmarks, post office says," 10 July 2020 City officials blame the problem on a technical glitch. — oregonlive, "Police chief outlasts long-time mayor in bitter Gresham power struggle," 4 July 2020

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.

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Last Updated

7 Aug 2020

Cite this Entry

“Glitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glitch. Accessed 7 Aug. 2020.

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