as in twitching
to make jerky or restless movements
small children are likely to fidget in church
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fiddling
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fidgeting
Laura Dorwart, Health, 29 Sep. 2025
Video of the attack shows Brown fidgeting and restless.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Getting the band to fit right took me a bit of fidgeting.
—PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2025
Rather than being persuaded by your content, they’re distracted by poor eye contact, fidgeting or a tentative tone.
—Sue Reynolds-Frost, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
People with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism may share symptoms like fidgeting and restlessness.
—Laura Dorwart, Health, 29 Sep. 2025
Video of the attack shows Brown fidgeting and restless.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Getting the band to fit right took me a bit of fidgeting.
—PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2025
Rather than being persuaded by your content, they’re distracted by poor eye contact, fidgeting or a tentative tone.
—Sue Reynolds-Frost, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
Applause intermingled with tears as the families of the Camp Mystic campers and counselors looked on, many with small children fidgeting in their Sunday-best attire behind the governor.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fidgeting
Verb
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Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Now scientists have found that, with a little fiddling, the feathers can be adjusted to turn flashes of light into laser beams.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Life’s hard enough, and if facial fiddling is music to your ears, have at it.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
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With net in hand, the future microbial geochemist dredged up seaweed and mud squirming with snails, crab larvae and other small invertebrates.—
Laura Poppick,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pests, disease, and weather can all play a part in unsightly stretches of brown grass, and tossing some grass seed over the area may not be the answer.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 Sep. 2025
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Reuters reported that the actor could be seen tossing water bottles into the crowd.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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He, too, was bowled over by the film's tear-jerking finale.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
-
With an epic Oscar-winning title song by Streisand and tear-jerking scenes aplenty, this film is a perennial favorite and often referred to in pop culture.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The four-episode thriller series stars Eve Myles (The Crow Girl, Broadchurch) and Gabrielle Creevy (Black Doves, Three Women) combines action, intrigue and twists, and themes of class and social mobility.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
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Patients are then monitored closely for outcomes, with the aim of improving mobility, reducing pain, and enhancing energy levels and overall health.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The dogs couldn't stand still, wiggling their bodies enthusiastically.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
To train the decoder, each person would imagine a series of different movements (like moving their whole right arm or wiggling their left thumb) while the researchers looked at the data coming from the electrodes and tried to find the most obvious and reliable signal.—
Eliza Strickland,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Feb. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Fidgeting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fidgeting. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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