Definition of glitch
glitchy
\ˈgli-chē\ adjectivePeople Are Reading
glitch was our Word of the Day on 10/17/2009. Hear the podcast!
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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
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The glitches are the latest in a series of problems with the city’s water system that serves approximately 46,000 residential customers.
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The curfew violation was later proved to be a computer glitch, Oviedo Police Lt.
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These youngsters from Tanzania are not limbless by accident or through some genetic glitch.
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The Marine Corps has greenlighted the return of F-35B Joint Strike Fighters to the skies over Arizona, following a brief grounding caused by computer glitches.
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BBC's News at Ten, the British media network's flagship evening news program, suffered a technical glitch that caused it to broadcast Huw Edwards, the program's anchor, lost in thought at his desk for four oddly entrancing minutes earlier this week.
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No doubt this was an opening-night glitch that will be remedied.
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A computer glitch led the U.S. Geological Survey to accidentally distribute a message that predicts that a 6.8 earthquake will erupt in the Santa Barbara Channel on June 29, 2025.
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A slight glitch so far: Gizmo has a gyroscope inside that keeps the iPad balanced over the pole and wheels and the robot appears to bob slightly forward and back.
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
GLITCH Defined for English Language Learners
glitch
playDefinition of glitch for English Language Learners
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: an unexpected and usually minor problem; especially : a minor problem with a machine or device (such as a computer)
GLITCH Defined for Kids
Learn More about glitch
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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
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