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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Recent Examples of tweaking
Taking a page from HBO’s cult 1996 comedy-drama Arliss, the American adaptation is tweaking the premise, moving the setting to the sports representation world.
—
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
After five years straight of tweaking and re-tweaking the exam school admissions policy, BPS officials began to seek a more long-term solution over the summer and put forth a proposal in September.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Shamblin’s parents are now suing OpenAI – ChatGPT’s creator – alleging the tech giant put his life in danger by tweaking its design last year to be more humanlike and by failing to put enough safeguards on interactions with users in need of emergency help.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
The league has since made a series of adjustments to meet ranking standards, including expanding its qualifying pathways and tweaking its competition structure.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
However, the Bose EQ only has three bands for tweaking bass, mid, and treble frequencies without specifying exactly what those frequencies are.
—PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
Altman later said that OpenAI was tweaking the platform to give copyright holders and performers greater control over how their images are used.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
The post appeared aimed at tweaking liberals who aren’t fans of the Republican president.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Mapping is pretty quick and uneventful, although the results did need some cleaning up and tweaking in my case.
—Loz Blain
october 14, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
After five years straight of tweaking and re-tweaking the exam school admissions policy, BPS officials began to seek a more long-term solution over the summer and put forth a proposal in September.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Shamblin’s parents are now suing OpenAI – ChatGPT’s creator – alleging the tech giant put his life in danger by tweaking its design last year to be more humanlike and by failing to put enough safeguards on interactions with users in need of emergency help.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
The league has since made a series of adjustments to meet ranking standards, including expanding its qualifying pathways and tweaking its competition structure.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
However, the Bose EQ only has three bands for tweaking bass, mid, and treble frequencies without specifying exactly what those frequencies are.
—PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
Altman later said that OpenAI was tweaking the platform to give copyright holders and performers greater control over how their images are used.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
The post appeared aimed at tweaking liberals who aren’t fans of the Republican president.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Mapping is pretty quick and uneventful, although the results did need some cleaning up and tweaking in my case.
—Loz Blain
october 14, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tweaking
Verb
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Picture objects levitating or twitching without external interference—or switching rooms.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
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Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Djokovic’s ability to stay in the conversation — in part by adjusting his game to the kill-or-be-killed aggression Sinner and Alcaraz bring that Medvedev and Zverev cannot adopt — only compounds that.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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The new study showed that every 1% increase in state-level firearm ownership was associated with a 6% increase in all-cause homicide and an 8% increase in the firearm-specific homicide rate in pregnant women, even after adjusting for other factors.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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These contrivances became so well known that, in 2009, the All-American Rejects guitarist Nick Wheeler spent much of his appearance mocking them.—
Kim Hew-Low,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
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The music video is a single shot of Welch in the back of a car, singing along in a suit, sporting shades and a cigar, both mocking and inhabiting the position of male dominance.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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While Americans are pinching their pennies amid SNAP cuts, soaring housing costs, and mass layoffs, the ultra-rich are seeing unprecedented wealth gains.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
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While there have been many fine adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Alastair Sim's performance as the miserly, penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge elevates this version to must-see status.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Typing becomes editing, not thinking.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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The group has backed leading AI model developers such as OpenAI, as well as application-level startups like OpusClip, a generative-AI video-editing platform, and Tempus AI, which applies machine learning to precision medicine.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The former Nickelodeon sitcom stars posted a new video on Instagram Wednesday, teasing what appeared to be a casual interaction as Peck sipped on a large drink in a plastic container.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
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The Japan Mobility Show is in full swing in Tokyo, and some of the largest automotive brands in the world are debuting and teasing vehicle concepts that could shape their future portfolios.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Just two weeks ago, Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi was shaking hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
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As the title suggests, this sprawling tale centers on Raja, a man in his sixties who lives with his mother in Beirut, a city shaking with political and ecological turmoil.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Morgan Bailey, a partner at Mayer Brown and a former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said the delay, combined with regulatory updates, suggests the State Department is modifying the registration process.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
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Researchers plan to improve the ACB by modifying its internal components using two techniques.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tweaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tweaking. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
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