twitched; twitching; twitches
1
: to move jerkily : quiver
2
: to undergo a brief spasmodic muscular contraction
his hand twitched
: to move or pull with a sudden motion : jerk
twitcher
noun
1
a
: a brief spasmodic contraction of the muscle fibers
b
: a slight jerk of a body part
2
: an act of twitching
especially
: a short sudden pull or jerk
3
: a physical or mental pang
a twitch of remorse
4
: a loop of rope or strap that is tightened over a horse's lip as a restraining device
Examples of twitch in a Sentence
Verb
Her mouth was twitching as she began to cry.
The rabbit twitched its ears.
Recent Examples on the Web
Marina Isgro, Artforum, 1 June 2025
The early symptoms include muscle weakness, cramps, twitching, stiff muscles, speech challenges, trouble swallowing, and drooling.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
His head jerks, and his little limbs weakly twitch and spasm.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for twitch
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Animated objects tend to activate the deeply rooted human impulse to perceive things that move as alive—a tendency harnessed to great effect in the uncannily twitching wires of Pol Bury’s reliefs or Robert Breer’s creeping domes.
—Marina Isgro, Artforum, 1 June 2025
The early symptoms include muscle weakness, cramps, twitching, stiff muscles, speech challenges, trouble swallowing, and drooling.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Noun
Shahn was known as a social realist: a painter of hardscrabble life who registered every spasm and twitch of the body politic, from the Great Depression to Vietnam.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
His head jerks, and his little limbs weakly twitch and spasm.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for twitch
Cite this Entry
“Twitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twitch. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
twitch
1 of 2 verb1
: to move or pull with a sudden motion : jerk
2
3
: to undergo a brief muscular contraction
his hand twitched
twitch
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of twitching
2
a
: a brief contraction of muscle fibers
b
: a slight jerk of a body part
twitchy
adjective
-ē
Medical Definition
twitch
1 of 3 intransitive verb
: to undergo a brief spasmodic muscular contraction
the muscle twitched
twitch
2 of 3 noun
: a brief spasmodic contraction of muscle fibers
also
: a slight jerk of a body part caused by such a contraction
twitch
3 of 3 nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share