tics

plural of tic

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tics Some people with Tourette’s can temporarily control tics, such as during a public interview, but that does not mean tics are voluntary. Michael Okun, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026 Somehow, Stan does, inhabiting the physicality and voice completely, turning up the volume on the Trumpian tics as the character ages. Madeline Leung Coleman, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026 People experiencing psychosis, dissociation, tics, and other problems after meditating were asking for help. Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026 Cage plays Roy, a gifted con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose tics, phobias and elaborate rituals have turned his immaculate home into a fortress against the world. Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The first four episodes retain most of the novel’s key incidents and tics. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026 Show your unique speaking style For decades, communication coaches counseled clients to ruthlessly eliminate verbal tics and awkward pauses. Matt Abrahams, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 Mocking each other’s writing tics became part of the fun, just as challenging each other to go darker and twistier was part of the adventure. Scott Westerfeld, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026 After surgery, that device is programmed to send mild electrical impulses that block abnormal nerve signals and dramatically reduce tics. Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tics
Noun
  • The List is full of her signature folk-rock tricks, looking back on her long, twisted, remarkable life in music.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • In this go-round, all the franchise’s favorite tricks have lost their impact, and its provocations ring hollow.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Growing older, Christian inherited his father’s mannerisms and infectious energy and often wears a glittering Bad Boy chain around his neck, firmly tying himself to his father’s shadow.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Others noticed how similar Ella’s voice and mannerisms are to Bening’s.
    Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • That focus on specific traits, though, could leave them vulnerable in a few areas.
    Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • And sometimes, personality traits that seem like faults are the very thing that will carry you through that fight.
    Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Welcome to The Athletic’s data notebook, a periodic look at the key trends, standout figures and tactical quirks shaping the Premier League season.
    Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • All these new axes and viewing options bring with them more coding and content-delivery quirks.
    Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Half a century of population change Daniel Adams, an R&D scientist at ORNL and lead author of the study, said that LandScan Mosaic is the first globally available population dataset released with this set of characteristics.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The team had surveyed the site the previous year, McLean said, and found several characteristics consistent with early medieval church architecture.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • One example is forming behaviors that can become habits, such as blocking out time for lunch.
    Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Elsewhere, Llínas films the modern-day streets, statues, and buildings where Borges once lived and visited, accompanied by casual pontifications on the author’s values and habits.
    Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Its moribund eccentricities cannot be separated from the tenderness of its story because Rhys and co-writer and composer, Joss Holden-Rea, have taken the time to sculpt characters with interiority that feels invitational.
    Zachary Lee, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Joe Griffin’s sound design and Sarah Riffle’s lighting contribute to the ethereal atmosphere, while Jazmin Aurora Medina’s costumes encompass the eccentricities and menace of the strange creatures the children meet on their travels.
    Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Two new books argue that this is the wrong debate to be having, since swing voters, with all their idiosyncrasies, don’t see politics through a lens of moderates versus progressives.
    Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Much of his work has poked at the idiosyncrasies and absurdities of modern business, some of it toeing the line between documentary and fiction.
    Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tics. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!