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.
Examples of glitch in a Sentence
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
The call for reform came just hours after another air traffic control glitch at the airport early Friday morning, when radar screens went dark and controllers briefly lost the ability to see or communicate with aircraft in the area, marking the second such incident in recent weeks.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 9 May 2025
Technical glitches and changing rules are frustrating borrowers trying to plan.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Technology glitches and staffing shortfalls have been especially hard on Newark in recent days.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for glitch
Cite this Entry
“Glitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glitch. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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glitch
noun
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