tic

noun

\ ˈtik

Definition of tic

1 : local and habitual spasmodic motion of particular muscles especially of the face : twitching

2 : a frequent usually unconscious quirk of behavior or speech "you know" is a verbal tic

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tic

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Examples of tic in a Sentence

The verbal tic “you know” often occurs in her speech. constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics

Recent Examples on the Web

Get some long twigs to fashion a tic-tac-toe board on the picnic table, and a tic-tac-toe contest should ensue. — Washington Post, "Hints From Heloise: Shelter donations," 8 June 2019 Most of all, my tics, while not gone completely, calmed down tremendously. — Glamour, "Getting Diagnosed With ADHD At 25 Changed Everything," 30 Apr. 2019 Donald Trump, by a Manhattan mile, was better known than any presidential candidate in history—his personal life, his business life, his tics, his mannerisms. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "So Long, Russia. And Thanks!," 28 Aug. 2018 Typical antipsychotics tend to cause more neurological side effects that affect physical movement, like muscle rigidity, spasms, tremors, tics, and restlessness, according to the NIMH. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "9 Things You Should Know About Taking Antipsychotic Drugs," 7 Dec. 2018 The great Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci may have suffered from an unusual visual tic: an intermittent outward turn of the eye, clinically known as strabismus. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Da Vinci’s possible vision disorder may have influenced his art," 18 Oct. 2018 Many of Courtney 's videos include small verbal tics. — Seventeen, "Beauty Vlogger Courtney Elizabeth Warner Shared a Video of Her Open Brain Surgery," 11 July 2017 Previous SlideNext Slide To create their game of tic-tac-toe, Qian et al. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Caltech scientists use DNA tiles to play tic-tac-toe at the nanoscale," 29 Dec. 2018 Hardy’s Brock is composed of weird facial tics, squeaky vocal inflections, and hunched body language. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "Venom is a bizarre and baffling mess," 3 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.