as in dwarf
a person of no importance or influence
in high school he was just a little twerp, and now he's a big Internet entrepreneur
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Recent Examples of twerp
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Taking on classic buddy-comedy attributes, Sam is the together one with a programmatic path toward life as a wealthy but hollow finance twerp, while Ari is the brash, cracked, less-medicated-than-he-should-be bull in a china shop.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Most of the movie is a vaguely comical swipe at Napoleon in domestic life—an awkward lover, a jealous husband, an inveterate complainer, and in sum an annoying twerp.
—Kyle Smith, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Kind of a little twerp, now and again.
—Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2022
His Abigail is a perfect twerp, the peevish flipside to Pitt's Most Interesting Man in the World shtick.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022
When Briggs leaves Lulu in a (cool, safe) car at night, an animal-rights twerp seeks to break a window with a rock to let in some air, until Briggs advises him why this would be a bad idea.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 18 Feb. 2022
That’s the mystery and the magnetism of what the actor’s doing, and without it this Henry would merely be a Lancastrian twerp.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Oct. 2019
To that end, its supporting characters are vivid: One step above Travis in the FAM hierarchy is Cody (Théodore Pellerin), a type-A twerp with a masochistic streak.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 Aug. 2019
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Taking on classic buddy-comedy attributes, Sam is the together one with a programmatic path toward life as a wealthy but hollow finance twerp, while Ari is the brash, cracked, less-medicated-than-he-should-be bull in a china shop.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Most of the movie is a vaguely comical swipe at Napoleon in domestic life—an awkward lover, a jealous husband, an inveterate complainer, and in sum an annoying twerp.
—Kyle Smith, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Kind of a little twerp, now and again.
—Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2022
His Abigail is a perfect twerp, the peevish flipside to Pitt's Most Interesting Man in the World shtick.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022
When Briggs leaves Lulu in a (cool, safe) car at night, an animal-rights twerp seeks to break a window with a rock to let in some air, until Briggs advises him why this would be a bad idea.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 18 Feb. 2022
That’s the mystery and the magnetism of what the actor’s doing, and without it this Henry would merely be a Lancastrian twerp.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Oct. 2019
To that end, its supporting characters are vivid: One step above Travis in the FAM hierarchy is Cody (Théodore Pellerin), a type-A twerp with a masochistic streak.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twerp
Noun
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Beyond rock and ice The finding of L 98-59 d challenges the long-standing astronomical belief that small exoplanets must be either gas dwarfs or water worlds covered in ice and oceans.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Mar. 2026
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In a gas-dwarf scenario, planets are believed to form rock cores that accrete a small percentage of hydrogen-helium during the formation process.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Seattle’s John Schneider and New England’s Eliot Wolf rose up from young nobodies to graduate from Green Bay Packers University, too.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
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Many of Newsom’s critics who breathlessly report on his evil plans (that the left-wing mainstream media supposedly cover up) are just nobodies who feign authority and are obviously fronting for right-wing organizations.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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As zonky cross-generational ciphers go, the group’s debut, Strictly 4 the Scythe, is no Hypnotize Camp Posse, the amalgam of Three 6 Mafia and a grip of artists signed to their Hypnotize Minds label in the early 2000s.—
Dylan Green,
Pitchfork,
12 Mar. 2026
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The still-unidentified Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s, frequently sent threats, demands and ciphers to multiple local papers — namely the San Francisco Chronicle.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Most wavers are simply too bulky to get close enough to shorter lengths, but this lightweight, slim styler makes adding texture to a cropped cut surprisingly easy.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
18 Mar. 2026
-
These towels are ultra-thin, sand-free microfiber essentials that shake clean instantly, dry three times faster than cotton, and fold down lightweight and compact for the ultimate travel-ready getaway.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These stones suggest the dinosaur was an opportunistic omnivore, snacking on everything from prehistoric ferns to crunchy insects and small animals.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Venture into this living kaleidoscope of color and learn all about the importance of pollinating insects.—
Travis Pinson,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The tree was probably a young whippersnapper when the city was founded in 1836, McBain figures.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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And the Sharks have no obvious replacement for him — no young whippersnapper in the pipeline ready for his moment.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Twerp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twerp. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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