1
as in twitching
to grasp and move with a small forceful motion
Hey, you tweaked my nose!
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2
as in adjusting
to make small adjustments to
You can tweak the settings to customize the display. He spent considerable time tweaking the recipe.
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3
as in mocking
to make (someone or something) the object of criticism, amusement, or laughter
They're always tweaking me about my northern accent.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tweaking
The trilayer device design also helped the researchers develop a model for their observations and further enhance power output by tweaking salt concentrations and nanopillar structures.
—
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
The higher debt is, the smaller a government’s fiscal space, the wiggle room a country has to adjust its budgetary priorities, tweaking spending or tax receipts without jeopardizing economic stability.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
However, turning him into the next Weaver will be easier said than done, though the Yankees got off to a nice start by tweaking his arsenal after he was designated for assignment by the Mets last season.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
Dos Santos, who speaks four languages, has already started putting his stamp on the team by tweaking LAFC’s playing style.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
After tweaking his ankle during practice in the lead-up to the Super Bowl, Emmanwori has since been taken off the injury report, but any hitch in his game would be a boon for the Patriots.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 8 Feb. 2026
The software simulates wind passing over the avatar, computational fluid dynamics calculate how much resistance there is — and how tweaking a skater’s form alters that.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Mayhem executive producer Andrew Watt handled guitar, co-producer Cirkut played synth, Josh Freese drummed, and Gaga commanded two keyboards, actively tweaking sounds on a modular synthesizer.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2026
This requires more than merely tweaking tax rates around the edges.
—Lou Rinaldi, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
The higher debt is, the smaller a government’s fiscal space, the wiggle room a country has to adjust its budgetary priorities, tweaking spending or tax receipts without jeopardizing economic stability.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
However, turning him into the next Weaver will be easier said than done, though the Yankees got off to a nice start by tweaking his arsenal after he was designated for assignment by the Mets last season.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
Dos Santos, who speaks four languages, has already started putting his stamp on the team by tweaking LAFC’s playing style.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
After tweaking his ankle during practice in the lead-up to the Super Bowl, Emmanwori has since been taken off the injury report, but any hitch in his game would be a boon for the Patriots.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 8 Feb. 2026
The software simulates wind passing over the avatar, computational fluid dynamics calculate how much resistance there is — and how tweaking a skater’s form alters that.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Mayhem executive producer Andrew Watt handled guitar, co-producer Cirkut played synth, Josh Freese drummed, and Gaga commanded two keyboards, actively tweaking sounds on a modular synthesizer.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2026
This requires more than merely tweaking tax rates around the edges.
—Lou Rinaldi, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tweaking
Verb
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But the Missouri was always a wild river twitching its bed from side to side across its flood plain.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
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Harnessing the camp of countless Drag Race acting challenges that came before her, Jujubee films a close-up reaction to a group of rowdy passengers reprimanding her, escalating the moment until her face is full-on twitching before a physical confrontation.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By adjusting slurry mixing and drying protocols alone, the team reduced internal ionic resistance in their test electrodes by up to 40 percent.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
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But those who want to learn more would be well-advised to read this essay, which explains how casting a small film requires adjusting your life to a distinct rhythm and watching endless amounts of material.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Claude, Anthropic’s chatbot, released multiple ads earlier this month mocking OpenAI for its decision to display ads on ChatGPT.—
Max Rego,
The Hill,
12 Feb. 2026
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The only notable Paxton campaign TV spot has been centered around an AI video mocking Cornyn.—
Joseph Morton,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The son of an emotionally remote father and penny-pinching mom, Smith was born the eldest of two boys in Tacoma.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Starting from long side without border, roll dough into a tight log, pinching seam to seal.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Letters are subject to editing for clarity and length.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington, Devika Nair, Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; editing by Lincoln Feast.—
Ted Hesson,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Humphrey's work consists of reviewing thousands of messages and tags, seeking permission from original video creators and balancing humor with teasing.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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Netflix released a trailer on Friday teasing what’s to come from the remaining four episodes, which are set to drop on February 26.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This new #earthquake shaking potential map from the California Geological Survey highlights the distribution of shaking hazard across #California.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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Her legs were physically shaking in her beginning pose.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Boeing is in the process of modifying two of its 747-800 aircraft that are slated to replace the existing fleet of two aging Boeing 747-200 aircraft that the president currently uses and that take on the Air Force One call sign when the president is aboard.—
Konstantin Toropin,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
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Terraforming — the process of modifying a planet’s atmosphere, temperature, surface, and ecology to be habitable — is looking less and less feasible the more scientists research it.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tweaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tweaking. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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