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
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
-
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
My empty paper bowl jerked along the belt, stopping under each funnel.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
-
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The two police officers who responded found a short, stocky man in the backyard and an aluminum shed with its door yanked off.—
Dan Barry,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
-
During the scuffle, the victim’s gold chain was yanked from his neck.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Carmella and Omar made it onto the ballot, but only because of extraordinary effort and after hundreds of signatures were tossed.—
Adam Davis,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
Most boxes focus on generic stuff that will either get ripped to shreds or tossed to the side.—
Rachel Cortez,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
So between those two things, the balance of gerrymanders has lurched pretty abruptly toward the right.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, federal policy has lurched in opposite directions.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The dogs, including newborn puppies, were pulled to safety by the Brandywine Valley SPCA rescue team.—
Kerri Corrado,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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The war pulled the Bureau away from these efforts, but once peace returned, Kline and his scientists had gone back to work.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twitched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitched. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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