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
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
In the mid-2010s, Young Thug borrowed from Future’s melodic blueprint, only for Future to co-opt Thug’s avant-garde vocal tics to get even weirder in his own right.
—Serge Selenou, Pitchfork, 3 Mar. 2026
Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show, however the BBC failed to censor the N-word during its broadcast, causing further harm.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
Davidson has coprolalia, where one’s involuntary tics are offensive and inappropriate.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026
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
In the mid-2010s, Young Thug borrowed from Future’s melodic blueprint, only for Future to co-opt Thug’s avant-garde vocal tics to get even weirder in his own right.
—Serge Selenou, Pitchfork, 3 Mar. 2026
Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show, however the BBC failed to censor the N-word during its broadcast, causing further harm.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
Davidson has coprolalia, where one’s involuntary tics are offensive and inappropriate.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tics
Noun
-
From fusion tapas restaurants to a minor league baseball team, Dunedin has plenty of delightful tricks up its sleeve.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
20 Apr. 2026
-
On a recent thread on the r/GLP1microdosing subreddit, women shared their tips and tricks for hiding medication from their partners.—
Rebecca Flint Marx,
SELF,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His demeanor, stories and mannerisms calling the game were like Scully.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The starting point for Castro’s character is donning the olive-green uniform, the cap, sporting the beard and developing the mannerisms Cubans know from his multi-hour speeches.—
Sarah Moreno,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 6-3, 318-pound Hunter has good length (33 1/4-inch arms) but lacks explosive traits, as evidenced by his 21 1/2-inch vertical jump and 8-foot, four-inch broad jump.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Each has versatility and traits the Broncos like.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
He was given considerable access to the behind-the-scenes activities of the show’s production and to many of its stars and staff, none of whom have much to say beyond expressing bemusement at some of Michaels’ personal quirks and habits or praise for his taste in comedy.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Though each songwriter’s individual preoccupations and quirks are on display here, the interplay between Adducci and Grigoroff makes this feel like a joint effort.—
David Harris,
SPIN,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Researchers evaluated and recorded the same 28 characteristics for each species based on preexisting data from universities and government agencies, Nunez-Mir said.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Clean-up operations involve experts who calculate the risk of a criticality accident based on the characteristics of the material being moved, Rofer says.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the Moon moves into Cancer, your attention shifts to spending, priorities, and the habits tied to both.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Our beliefs, attitudes and habits can either reinforce or challenge ageism.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The curators will swap things in and out as they get used to the eccentricities of the new building.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Her Catherine is less defined by the quirky, appealing eccentricities of Mary-Louise Parker’s performance in the original 2000 Broadway staging, but is girded by a certain angry resignation, fearful of what life might have in store, furious too, yet seething with a will to defy it all.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
First there was Lil Baby and Gunna, turning his melodies into a radio rap format by ditching the idiosyncrasies.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Most of the videos are gentle teasing about the idiosyncrasies of working at a bar or retreads of other viral videos.—
Lauren Chapman,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tics. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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