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
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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
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Instead, Nowell roots the band’s sound in the mid-’90s and keeps his vocal mannerisms as close to Bradley’s as possible.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
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His behavior, his voice, his accent, his physical mannerisms, everything was so particular to him, but also to New York at a certain time, and in a certain kind of crowd.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Low curiosity, low humility, low openness to feedback — these are precisely the traits that both predict the need for change and predict resistance to it.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Cooper says personality traits, brain chemistry, past experiences and social context may all play a part.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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
-
Laboratory evaluations indicate specific performance characteristics under varied operational environments.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
-
Louise Cottar believes this cultural connection is one of the defining characteristics of the camp.—
Sarah Kingdom,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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
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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
-
Anta Claus is spilling over with character flaws, idiosyncrasies, jealousy and frustration.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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There’s an intrinsic pleasure in seeing filmmakers grow both older and weirder, yielding to their personal idiosyncrasies and obsessions, taking wild chances in pursuit of their passions.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tics. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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