twinge

noun \ ˈtwinj \

Updated on: 10 May 2018

Definition of twinge

1 : a sudden sharp stab of pain

2 : a moral or emotional pang

a twinge of conscience

a twinge of sympathy

See twinge defined for English-language learners

Examples of twinge in a Sentence

He felt a twinge of arthritis when he stood up.
I still feel an occasional twinge in my leg from the accident.
I felt a twinge of guilt.
I must admit to a twinge of envy.

Recent Examples of twinge from the Web

Yet McDonald also has watched the actions of the students at Parkland afterward with deep respect — and a twinge of regret that Columbine students did not do something similar.

— vox first person, Vox, "They survived Columbine. Then came Sandy Hook. And Parkland.," 20 Apr. 2018
Yet McDonald also has watched the actions of the students at Parkland afterward with deep respect — and a twinge of regret that Columbine students did not do something similar.

— vox first person, Vox, "They survived Columbine. Then came Sandy Hook. And Parkland.," 20 Apr. 2018
Pregnancy is filled with weird aches, pains, and twinges, and some are a little scarier than others.

— korin miller, SELF, "Dehydration Can Cause Contractions During Pregnancy, as 'Bachelorette' Star Ali Fedotowsky Just Found Out," 23 Feb. 2018
Katja and Trent constantly grill each other on their minuscule shifts in mood or expression, always interrogating, apologizing and realigning, and Radosevich and O’Brien keep every twinge of feeling right on the surface.

— lily janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, "Video games and theater an even match-up in ‘Non-Player Character’," 16 Feb. 2018
Yet McDonald also has watched the actions of the students at Parkland afterward with deep respect — and a twinge of regret that Columbine students did not do something similar.

— vox first person, Vox, "They survived Columbine. Then came Sandy Hook. And Parkland.," 22 Mar. 2018
For some, the looming holidays brought a twinge of pain, their sadness cast in sharp relief against the holiday cheer.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Vanishing As a Way to Reclaim Your Life," 9 Feb. 2018
Americans always feel a twinge of something amiss when people talk about bargaining away their First Amendment right of free speech.

— orlando sentinel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Trying to buy off opposition to a development should be against the law," 2 Feb. 2018
This whole situation also begs the question: Would Duma and Sergeenko have felt remorse—even a twinge?—if people hadn’t noticed and screen-grabbed their Instagram in the first place?

— candace mcduffie, Glamour, "Miroslava Duma and Ulyana Sergeenko's Casual Racism Only Highlights Fashion's Need for Diversity," 24 Jan. 2018

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

First Known Use of twinge

1608

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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twinge Synonyms

Synonyms

ache, pain, pang, prick, shoot, smart, sting, stitch, throe, tingle;

Near Antonyms

comfort, ease, easiness;

affliction, agony, anguish, misery, sufferance, suffering, torment, torture;

inflammation, sore, swelling;

damage, detriment, harm, hurt, injury;

backache, bellyache, charley horse, colic, complaint, earache, gripe, headache, stomachache, toothache;

twinge

verb

Definition of twinge

twinged; twinging play \ˈtwin-jiŋ\ or twingeing

transitive verb

1 dialect : pluck, tweak

2 : to affect with a sharp pain or pang

intransitive verb

: to feel a sudden sharp local pain

See twinge defined for kids

Recent Examples of twinge from the Web

Over time, all that stress catches up to you, leaving the front of your shoulder joints twinging with every rep.

— lauren bedosky, SELF, "Why Your Wrists and Shoulders Hurt During Push-Ups and Planks—and How to Fix It," 3 Sep. 2017
A few minutes later, when his crossover and soaring dunk put the Warriors up 22-3, worries that Durant’s twinged calf muscle would slow him were out the window.

— anthony slater, The Mercury News, "Warriors smack Blazers in Game 4 rout, complete dominant first round sweep," 24 Apr. 2017
Bar Botellón, named for the endlessly popular Spanish tradition of public drinking, embraces this style, offering fusion-y bites of Spanish tortilla twinged with lemon rind or crostini topped with a pimento spread.

— michael russell | the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Portland's 10 best* Spanish restaurants," 7 June 2017
The result is an often heartfelt, always clean set with a focus on families and small-town life, all twinged with a healthy dose of non-sequitur madness (his Instagram account, for example, consists mostly of photos of tomatoes).

— nick vadala, Philly.com, "Comedian Joe Pera brings his grandfatherly stylings to Philadelphia this weekend," 16 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of twinge

Middle English twengen, from Old English twengan; akin to Old High German zwengen to pinch

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

TWINGE Defined for English Language Learners

twinge

noun

Definition of twinge for English Language Learners

: a sudden and usually slight pain
: a sudden slight feeling or emotion

TWINGE Defined for Kids

twinge

noun \ ˈtwinj \

Definition of twinge for Students

: a sudden sharp stab (as of pain or emotion)

She felt a twinge of envy.

twinge

verb

Definition of twinge for Students

twinged; twinging or twingeing

: to affect with or feel a sudden sharp pain or emotion

Medical Dictionary

twinge

noun \ ˈtwinj \

medical Definition of twinge

: a sudden sharp stab of pain

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twinge

Definition of twinge

Examples of twinge in a Sentence

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First Known Use of twinge

twinge Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

twinge

Definition of twinge

Recent Examples of twinge from the Web

Origin and Etymology of twinge

TWINGE Defined for English Language Learners

twinge

Definition of twinge for English Language Learners

TWINGE Defined for Kids

twinge

Definition of twinge for Students

twinge

Definition of twinge for Students

Medical Dictionary

twinge

medical Definition of twinge

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