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
Physical tics can be as subtle as eye blinking, or involve jerking the arms, or stretching the neck.
—
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Services are available that humanize AI tics.
—Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Nadal, with a wink, recites the various physical tics involved in his serving routine.
—Ava Wallace, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Here, the British actor appears to take on Hansen’s vocal patterns and tics with an eerie, off-kilter precision, as those familiar with the infamous true-crime host can attest.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
Eilish shares reaction to her tics Eilish was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at age 11.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 6 May 2026
The movie depicts Davidson in clinical trials in 2022 at the University of Nottingham, which is developing an MNS (median nerve stimulator) that can be worn as a bracelet to reduce tics.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 28 Apr. 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
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Services are available that humanize AI tics.
—Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Nadal, with a wink, recites the various physical tics involved in his serving routine.
—Ava Wallace, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Here, the British actor appears to take on Hansen’s vocal patterns and tics with an eerie, off-kilter precision, as those familiar with the infamous true-crime host can attest.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
Eilish shares reaction to her tics Eilish was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at age 11.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 6 May 2026
The movie depicts Davidson in clinical trials in 2022 at the University of Nottingham, which is developing an MNS (median nerve stimulator) that can be worn as a bracelet to reduce tics.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 28 Apr. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tics
Noun
-
One of my nerdiest hip-hop fan instincts is trying to catch the subtle ways production tricks and flows migrate from one city to the next, like an invasive species.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
16 June 2026
-
One of his greatest joys was performing magic tricks alongside his granddaughter.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
For Ellie Bamber, successfully capturing Kate Moss‘ effortless charm wasn’t just about nailing her voice, style, or any of the fashion icon’s mannerisms.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2026
-
Trained on hours and hours of professional recordings, the AI simulation mimics Lee’s distinctive voice, expressions and mannerisms.—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Although no other mosasaur teeth have been found there from the same time period, older examples excavated from other parts of the Western Interior Seaway also featured isotopic traits consistent with freshwater.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
12 Dec. 2025
-
The silicone material itself is bioinert and non-cytotoxic—two traits essential for future clinical use.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
One of the many quirks of Raj Koothrappali, aside from his questionable fashion taste, was selective mutism.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
-
Lina Abushouk, analyzing the imbroglio for the website Africa Is a Country, observed that the story’s stylistic quirks revealed the formal and expressive qualities that Euro-American publishers expect and demand from African and Caribbean authors.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Voice Translate maintains natural vocal characteristics during real-time call translation, all processed locally on the device.—
Gerui Wang,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The criminals are actually using artificial intelligence to look for those type of characteristics and profiles.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Tomato Spacing By Plant Type Tomatoes are classified into two main groups, determinate and indeterminate, according to their growth and fruit production habits.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
-
Unfortunately, sometimes the brain is too efficient, leading us to cling to false information and unproductive habits while ignoring information that could clearly benefit us.—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Not Puritan-haunted like the great writers of New England, or even the cosmopolitan eccentricities of a Melville, but fully and totally spoken in a new voice that was of the broad, mid-section of the continent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 June 2026
-
Much attention is paid to the expressiveness and eccentricities that make Dern so recognizable.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
That sometimes meant staking a claim to micro-genre legacies, but just as often meant leaning hard into idiosyncrasies.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
3 Dec. 2025
-
Instead, volumes seem to be correlated to game idiosyncrasies, such as overtime, narrow leads and, as mentioned, the locations of the teams playing.—
Alex Sherman,Contessa Brewer,
CNBC,
27 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tics. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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