1
as in fidgeted
to make jerky or restless movements
the dog twitched in her sleep
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2
as in jerked
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
the rabbit twitched its nose
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Recent Examples of twitched
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.
—
Alina Hartounian, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.
—Freida Frisaro, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Their usefulness remains an open question At the back of a conference hall at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, a humanoid robot twitched through a preprogrammed wave for a crowd of cell phone cameras—a classic scene of high spectacle and unclear utility at CES.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2026
As the drugs flowed, Randolph's eyes were closed and his face twitched slightly.
—David Fischer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 21 Nov. 2025
His eyes twitched in rapid blinks, his lips disappeared as if cold fury were coursing through his body.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Alina Hartounian, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.
—Freida Frisaro, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Their usefulness remains an open question At the back of a conference hall at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, a humanoid robot twitched through a preprogrammed wave for a crowd of cell phone cameras—a classic scene of high spectacle and unclear utility at CES.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2026
As the drugs flowed, Randolph's eyes were closed and his face twitched slightly.
—David Fischer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 21 Nov. 2025
His eyes twitched in rapid blinks, his lips disappeared as if cold fury were coursing through his body.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twitched
Verb
-
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
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We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lindor, who has been the subject of criticism for his play thus far, yanked a shot into the seats, scoring Marcus Semien and Carson Benge — one of the few positives from this night.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
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As the smell intensified, Lina crossed to the front door of her apartment, undid the lock, and yanked the sticky door open.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Imanaga tossed seven innings for the first time this season, limiting the Phillies to just three hits, including the home run, while walking one and striking out one batter.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Lugo tossed seven scoreless innings and logged seven strikeouts.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wembanyama lurched forward, toppled and slammed the right side of his face on the floor.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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When robots lurched, slipped, and occasionally froze mid-stride at the 2026 Beijing half-marathon on April 19, the internet quickly turned the spectacle into a meme.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Arndt allowed baserunners in each of the first five innings but wiggled out of most of the jams.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hoopes turned a corner and the cop, lights flashing, pulled him over.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Finally, this past New Year’s Eve, their full-length debut surfaced as an unfussy YouTube post—only to get pulled one week later as Bottner sought label distribution.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twitched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitched. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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