twig

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
: a small shoot or branch usually without its leaves
2
: a minute branch of a nerve or artery
twigged adjective
twiggy adjective

twig

2 of 3

verb

twigged; twigging

transitive verb

1
2
: to understand the meaning of : comprehend

intransitive verb

: to gain a grasp : understand
twigged instinctively about thingsH. E. Bates

twig

3 of 3

noun (2)

British

Examples of twig in a Sentence

Verb He seemed confused until he twigged that something was going on. I had to explain it to him three times but he finally twigged.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This shared vision between FKA twigs and On reimagines training as a holistic experience, engaging the body, mind and spirit. Ty Gaskins, WWD, 3 Sep. 2024 Find it on Amazon These Twig Balls to Beautify Your Space The possibilities are endless with this bag of assorted twig balls that will beautifully fill your empty trays or baskets. Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2024
Verb
Despite finding themselves in the exact same spot in the hotel gardens, Harris didn’t twig that something was afoot. Rebecca Cope, Vogue, 26 June 2024 Altman, meanwhile, twigged that Microsoft might be the deep-pocketed backer OpenAI needed to achieve its goals. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for twig 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'twig.' 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 (1)

Middle English twigge, from Old English; akin to Old High German zwīg twig, Old English twā two

Verb

perhaps from Irish & Scottish Gaelic tuig- understand

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1764, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1811, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of twig was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near twig

Cite this Entry

“Twig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twig. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

twig

noun
ˈtwig
: a small shoot or branch usually without its leaves
twiggy
ˈtwig-ē
adjective

Medical Definition

twig

noun
: a minute branch of a nerve or artery
twigs of sensory nerves in the skinLynda Charters

More from Merriam-Webster on twig

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!