1
as in fidgeted
to make jerky or restless movements
the dog twitched in her sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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
Her hand twitched from the heat.
—Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
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
Her hand twitched from the heat.
—Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twitched
Verb
-
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Carl squirmed away from some of his earlier remarks minimizing the Holocaust but stood by his views on anti-white persecution and the Great Replacement.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The community backlash was swift as customers stopped going to the South End brewery and distributors yanked Sycamore products from shelves.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Footage showed Pino lunging at Thayer as his younger brother yanked the ax away from him.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But Gafford is benefiting from recent alley-oop connections with Cooper Flagg, Khris Middleton and Brandon Williams, who tossed a perfect lob over two Hawks defenders Sunday.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
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The front turnlock helps secure the bag, even when tossed aside to hit the dance floor.—
Paige Bennett,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Over the course of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term, CPS has lurched from budget crisis to budget crisis, able only to muddle through due to record-breaking mayoral declarations of tax-increment-financing surpluses.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
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Elsewhere in town, the original creature, played by Christian Bale, has lurched here from Austria still on his lonely quest for companionship.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Poking at the dirt outside of the home with a sharp metal rod soldered to a handle, Tello wiggled the rod around, pulled it out, and smelled it.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Brent crude, which at one point neared $120 a barrel, pulled back significantly to around $90.—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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As a result, insurers, oil companies and cargo firms have pulled back from operating in the area or transiting the critical waterway.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twitched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitched. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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