glitch

noun

ˈglich 

1

a

: 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

glitchy

ˈgli-chē

adjective

Did you know?

There's a glitch in the etymology of glitch—it may come from the Yiddish glitsh, meaning "slippery place," but that's not certain. Print use of glitch referring to a brief unexpected surge of electrical current dates to the mid-20th century. Astronaut John Glenn, in his 1962 book Into Orbit, felt the need to explain the term to his readers: "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, the word can be used of any minor malfunction or snag. If you’re a gamer you might even take advantage of a glitch that causes something unexpected, and sometimes beneficial, to happen in the game.

Example Sentences

Glitches in the speaker's schedule caused some delays.

A technical glitch caused a temporary shutdown.

Recent Examples on the Web

The paperwork for the deal was filed 18 seconds after La Liga’s winter transfer window closed and FIFA, in negating the transfer, declined to accept Barcelona’s argument that a computer glitch caused the delay. —Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2023

An apparent glitch at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday briefly caused wild price swings and a temporary trading freeze in stocks of major companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp., McDonalds Corp. and Walmart Inc. —Alexander Osipovich, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2023

But when a glitch causes one child to be missed, Santa's youngest son steps up to save the day. —Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, 30 Nov. 2022

But about 30 seconds into their 1981 jam, a sound glitch caused the band to pause for technical difficulties. —Sarah Grant, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2022

When the system first launched, a glitch in the system’s ability to read TollTags caused long wait times and frustrated drivers. —Nataly Keomoungkhoun, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2021

That strength was evident, for example, in NewsNation’s coverage of the Federal Aviation Administration’s order in January to halt national air traffic because of a technical glitch. —Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2023

In 2020, Bank of America customers reported another major glitch, with accounts showing inaccurate balances of as little as $0. —Simmone Shah, Time, 19 Jan. 2023

That includes some players who are sticking with the original version because of a glitch in the NYT site that made it so their existing streaks didn't carry over to the new version. —Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 15 Feb. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

glitch

noun

ˈglich 

: an unexpected usually minor problem

glitches in a new computer program