as in tricks
an odd or peculiar habit
constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics
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Recent Examples of tics
Firstman’s debut directorial effort, Club Kid, shrewdly acknowledges those garish personality tics, which have both endeared and repulsed audiences.
—
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Eilish shares reaction to her tics Eilish was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at age 11.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 6 May 2026
Some patients on chlorpromazine developed mild tremors or tics.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
His tics are not naughty mischief, but an uncontrollable action.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
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
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Eilish shares reaction to her tics Eilish was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at age 11.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 6 May 2026
Some patients on chlorpromazine developed mild tremors or tics.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
His tics are not naughty mischief, but an uncontrollable action.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tics
Noun
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As a long-time shopper, Aly knows there are tricks to scoring the best deals.—
Celia Shatzman,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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The robot training center's primary focus will be on gathering all the data possible, across a diverse collection of robots, in an effort to be able to fine-tune methods to teach new bots old tricks.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Ellie tries to embody each artist and that takes studying of the mannerisms because the mannerisms are what bring it to life, not the staging or anything else.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
9 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
-
Researchers from Fukushima University and Hirosaki University analyzed DNA samples from the mutant animals and discovered that the offspring inherited key reproductive traits from domestic pigs.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
22 May 2026
-
The Lego form allows other versions of these characters to be brought together and for their unifying personality and traits to come out.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Noun
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The fight will feature other quirks, including, surprisingly enough, the national anthem.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
26 May 2026
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Short and sweet, Anything Goes earns a repeat listen, if only to catch all the little quirks and thoughtful lyrics that went over your head the first time.—
Kat Bein,
SPIN,
21 May 2026
Noun
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For decades, scientists debated whether these characteristics were primitive leftovers or later evolutionary reversals and this new research leans toward the first explanation.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
Each type of light fixture forms the same general structure, but with individual characteristics informed by the mercurial nature of glass.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Select plants with similar growth habits to achieve the highest yield.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 May 2026
-
The researchers also emphasized that regular grape consumption cannot replace traditional sunscreen or sun-safe habits, and that the study relied on a highly concentrated grape powder rather than occasional, casual snacking.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
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That the series houses its mad science experiments and cartoonish fight scenes in familiar packaging goes a long way toward keeping it accessible, but the charming eccentricities and their astute implementation add up to a Spider-story worth investing in — bring on the strange.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
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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
Noun
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Even a Massie win, as one strategist told Salon, wouldn’t necessarily justify clean conclusions about the President given the idiosyncrasies of Massie’s district, which stretches from the Cincinnati suburbs to the West Virginia border.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Although jazz can be powerfully expressive of a composer or musician’s personal idiosyncrasies and attitude (think of Miles Davis or Sun Ra), blues is the domain of raw emotion.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tics. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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