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
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
Because the original Not-Ready-for-Primetime Players are so well-known by now, the movie falls back on a lot of recognizable tics and characteristics rather than developing them as characters.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2024
Stone gives a typically ostentatious performance — all tics, cartoonish gestures, searchlight eyes — without piquant moments of silence or reflection.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
That’s because the trip quickly becomes the Matt and Chris show, a long-running two-hander stuffed with bickering, personality tics and grievances that suggests a friendship of opposites long past its sell-by date.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Live, the band’s synth-pop got an indie rock punch-up, eliciting a melodic, staccato vocal tic in singer Sammy Elfanbaum akin to a young Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tic 
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2024
Stone gives a typically ostentatious performance — all tics, cartoonish gestures, searchlight eyes — without piquant moments of silence or reflection.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
That’s because the trip quickly becomes the Matt and Chris show, a long-running two-hander stuffed with bickering, personality tics and grievances that suggests a friendship of opposites long past its sell-by date.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Live, the band’s synth-pop got an indie rock punch-up, eliciting a melodic, staccato vocal tic in singer Sammy Elfanbaum akin to a young Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tic
Cite this Entry
“Tic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tic. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tic
noun1
: a regularly repeated twitching movement of a particular muscle and especially one of the face
2
: a particular form of behavior or speech that is often repeated
"you know" is a verbal tic
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