jitter

1 of 2

noun

jit·​ter ˈji-tər How to pronounce jitter (audio)
1
jitters ˈji-tərz How to pronounce jitter (audio) plural : a sense of panic or extreme nervousness
had a bad case of the jitters before his performance
2
: the state of mind or the movement of one that jitters
3
: irregular random movement (as of a pointer or an image on a television screen)
also : vibratory motion

jitter

2 of 2

verb

jittered; jittering; jitters

intransitive verb

1
: to make continuous fast repetitive movements
2
: to be nervous or act in a nervous way

Examples of jitter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Well, despite a spell of jitters last year, no recession happened. Larry Light, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 But Ramadhani says there's no room for jitters onstage. USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 After completing his first week of shows, Locke sat down with Vogue to talk about pre-show jitters, his upcoming Marvel series, and breaking out of his Heartstopper mold. Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2024 The primary benefits of White Maeng Da Kratom are mood-boosting, chronic pain relief, energizing without jitters, and even aiding in opiate withdrawal. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024 However, expectations for a soft landing for the economy have calmed jitters. Robert Daugherty, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Blurry targets create jitters For some white-collar workers, the vague targets create anxiety. Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 22 Feb. 2024 Despite the China jitters, others on Wall Street believe the company still has plenty of room to run. Clare Duffy, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 Tomlinson displayed few first-show jitters, easily hitting her jokes both prewritten and improvised. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2024
Verb
The screen jitters each time righteous bloodshed crosses Deva’s mind. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 22 Dec. 2023 Markets gonna jitter a bit. Erik Sherman, Forbes, 19 May 2021 The shadow of the new coronavirus finally reached American shores this week, as markets jittered downward and new cases crept up. Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2020 Earlier, jitters over the global economic outlook weighed on Asian trading. San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2019 The bad news is that latency is a lot higher, and controller position jittered a lot while moving, especially at high speeds. Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, 9 Nov. 2018 Tracking was generally good, but objects occasionally shifted or jittered. Adi Robertson, The Verge, 8 Aug. 2018 This happens all the time but, in Riley's composition, the periodic black and white edges are jittered in a way that generates apparent motion. Daniel Glaser, A-LIST, 1 July 2018 Sure enough, the more the eyes jittered, the stronger the effect. Daniel Glaser, A-LIST, 1 July 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jitter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of jitter was in 1929

Dictionary Entries Near jitter

Cite this Entry

“Jitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jitter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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