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
-
When choosing vegetables to plant in containers, look for dwarf or compact varieties.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Regretfully, some plants damaged the most were the colorful dwarf schefflera, crotons, ti plants and similar.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After all, why listen to a podcast with two nobodies co-hosting when a listener can get an hour from a familiar celebrity.—
Frank Racioppi,
Forbes.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
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
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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Its multipurpose formula preps and hydrates skin using a cream-to-gel formula that’s lightweight and won’t leave behind a greasy residue.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
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The lightweight, handheld device came preloaded with a 100-exposure roll of Kodak black-and-white film.—
Marcia Greenwood,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The insects were said to be destined for European and Asian markets, and Kenyan authorities valued the ants at 1 million shillings ($7,700).—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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On two separate occasions earlier in the month, Rick Nicholson brushed the chest of two players while attempting to swat away insects, according to the parents of three players who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears their daughters might face retaliation.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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More, the coaches of the last three title-winning teams (Florida’s Todd Golden and Hurley) all come from the current crop of whippersnappers, as do the leaders of each 1-seed in this tourney.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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Mills gives off the disarming sense of a secure soul undeterred by whippersnappers who toss around fancy words such as gerontocracy.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twerp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twerp. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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