as in trick
an odd or peculiar habit
constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics
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Recent Examples of tic
Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition that may cause involuntary movements and vocal tics, sometimes involving outbursts of inappropriate language, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—
Mason Leib, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
During the first 30 minutes of the show, Davidson repeatedly issued loud, involuntary vocal tics that were clear to those in the audience and on clips later circulated on social media.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
Brooks is still wont to assume that social crises are a function of our personal habits, not economic or political injustice, and his methodological tics are the same as ever.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Once Ida is revived, Buckley is rife with tics and guttural asides, switching between rat-a-tat mobster slang and Shelley’s flowery English prose like some postmodern literary Gollum.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tic
Mason Leib, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
During the first 30 minutes of the show, Davidson repeatedly issued loud, involuntary vocal tics that were clear to those in the audience and on clips later circulated on social media.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
Brooks is still wont to assume that social crises are a function of our personal habits, not economic or political injustice, and his methodological tics are the same as ever.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Once Ida is revived, Buckley is rife with tics and guttural asides, switching between rat-a-tat mobster slang and Shelley’s flowery English prose like some postmodern literary Gollum.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tic
Noun
-
Many of his later programs have been capped by a coda in which the tricks of the trade are laid bare—no trick being more vital than that of extreme patience, with camera operators waiting days, or even weeks, for the right cub, or pup, or fledgling, or froglet, to show up.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
There is not a whole lot to chuckle about these days, and her column does the trick for me every week.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
What coaches do is acquire and elevate the players who have the cultural traits the team needs.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
-
Music, both as one character’s defining trait and as a story-telling device — snippets of pop tunes across decades swiftly drive time shifts in the play’s first two acts — is a major aspect.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
That realization has led some investors to examine assets with different characteristics.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
While acknowledging that antisemites may have good characteristics—a loving husband, a generous and conscientious citizen—Sartre claimed that their hatred ultimately defines them.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Decadent art, with its mannerism, also its enthusiasm for skulls, swords, strippers, and other Hot Topic motifs, is for some art historians an embarrassing cul-de-sac best passed over in favor of a narrative of formal progress leading inevitably to abstraction.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
Meta staffers could potentially converse with and get feedback from the virtual double trained on his mannerisms, tone, public statements, and sentiments about the company’s strategy.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In other words, this little MLB quirk — that the lefty splitter is a relative rarity — is in part due to all of the aforementioned theories working together rather than any single reason.—
Eno Sarris,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Arguments in that case, which are also slated for Tuesday, will focus on a campaign seeking to strike the map down at the ballot box through a quirk in Missouri law called the referendum that allows citizens to challenge most laws passed by state lawmakers.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
This can actually be taken too far—4 or 5 big dashes and the character of the genever all but vanishes, while only one dash and the genever character could be too strong for those unacclimated to its malty idiosyncrasies.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
9 May 2026
-
No matter what’s rattling around in Peter’s brain, his bandmates are ready to play around with its cinematic potential by whipping up a DIY batter of post-punk and no-wave idiosyncrasies.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Of course, in addition to being perfect by becoming a doctor, John had selected, despite her eccentricities, the perfect mate in their parents’ eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
Still, even an understanding of Turner’s eccentricities didn’t prepare the Braves to learn the morning of their game against Pittsburgh that the team’s owner was now the manager.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Why are Americans waiting for the federal government to change local and regional habits to meet the challenges of climate change?—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Reddit users in Millennial communities have framed the moment as a return to childhood and pre-digital habits, talking less about productivity and more about joy.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tic. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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