as in to twitch
to make jerky or restless movements
small children are likely to fidget in church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of fidget
In your experience, do people fidget to purposely get non-conclusive results?
—
Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025
Instead, the players stood behind him patiently — fidgeting now and then, their faces mainly expressionless — as Trump answered questions that mostly related to the potential of U.S. involvement in Israel’s war against Iran.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
These non-workout movements may include walking, cleaning, fidgeting, or running errands.
—Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 June 2025
Skeptics argue that many of the classic symptoms of the disorder — fidgeting, losing things, not following instructions — are simply typical, if annoying, behaviors of childhood.
—Paul Tough Eric Jason Martin Krish Seenivasan Brian St. Pierre, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fidget
Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025
Instead, the players stood behind him patiently — fidgeting now and then, their faces mainly expressionless — as Trump answered questions that mostly related to the potential of U.S. involvement in Israel’s war against Iran.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
These non-workout movements may include walking, cleaning, fidgeting, or running errands.
—Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 June 2025
Skeptics argue that many of the classic symptoms of the disorder — fidgeting, losing things, not following instructions — are simply typical, if annoying, behaviors of childhood.
—Paul Tough Eric Jason Martin Krish Seenivasan Brian St. Pierre, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fidget
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fidget
Verb
-
My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.—
Maggie Downs,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Jones’ raw traits have always been jaw-dropping — a 6-foot-6 defensive end who can combine an edge rusher’s twitch with an interior lineman’s power.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But the Rockies, as is their wont, made the Padres squirm, belting 14 hits, including a solo home run by Mickey Moniak in the ninth off Robert Suarez.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan stage and shoot said home invasion like a Jacques Tati sequence — that is to say, from an amused, ironic distance that watches humans squirm and scramble without intervention.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
One night earlier, Cecconi tossed eight scoreless innings and carried a no-hitter through seven.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Move the ingredients to the hole and toss to cover them with the sauce.—
Linda Gassenheimer,
Boston Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
-
If Hall jerked too violently, let alone tried to run, the wire would pull the trigger, firing the shotgun Kiritsis had pointed at the back of Hall’s head.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As Rossini stowed her purse in a tiny back office, a manager named Katie Atlas was onboarding a new employee, a young woman who fiddled nervously with her necklace.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
But so too does fiddle — not violin, fiddle — and piano.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Give the culprit a small spritz, let sit for a second, and then carefully wiggle the zipper back and forth while pulling up or down as needed.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The cast could benefit from more screen time and the writers could probably use more episodes to fully wiggle their way out of the initial premise.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fidget.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fidget. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share