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
Lucy Jones
april 11, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
The accompanying video includes Usher's now-famous glitch dance move, which became a trend on TikTok two years ago.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
His minor but real neurological glitch is a sentinel signal that technologies like Sora are capable of interfering with some of the brain’s root processes.
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
Microsoft is rolling out a Windows 11 update to fix a Start Menu glitch that's been producing blank search results and other issues.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for glitch
Cite this Entry
“Glitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glitch. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
glitch
noun
