TWITCHED Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

twitched

verb

past tense of twitch

as in fidgeted

to make jerky or restless movements the dog twitched in her sleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in jerked

to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion the rabbit twitched its nose

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of twitched Just then, Chee Meng’s fishing rod twitched, and the line began to run out. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites. — Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 May 2026 My jaw twitched uncontrollably. — Literary Hub, 15 May 2026 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 Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete. — Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026 Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me. — Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for twitched

Verb

Leaning against a desk, Thune fidgeted constantly as the chamber voted and the president's arrival neared.

— Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.

— David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026

Definition of fidgeted

Verb

During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

His wife Thessa was checking her phone and vaping in the next room when the child squirmed through the opening and fell.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026
Erling Haaland headed City level in the second half, but Jackson got his second and the winner with a first-time finish that squirmed under goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of squirmed

Verb

Coach Curt Cignetti did not say if Hoover was yanked because of an injury.

— CBS News, CBS News, 31 Oct. 2026
The district secured $150 million in federal funding to fix the issue, but it was yanked back as part of cost-cutting efforts in 2025, then recently re-instated this year.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of yanked

Verb

So, Doncic just tossed up the three-pointer from the three-point line on the Portland side of the court that banked in as time expired.

— Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
Turbulence tossed it up and down by 700 feet (200 meters), but the situation quickly escalated as the aircraft fell at breathtaking speed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of tossed

Verb

The insurrection drew immediate and obvious parallels to the United States, which, during much of the past decade, has lurched alongside Brazil through a strange hall of mirrors.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
And there was a frenzy as one man, grimacing and sweating, lurched along pulling a truck with a rope.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of lurched

Verb

The monster costumes were so ill-fitting that his skin wiggled.

— Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026
As a woman waded through the waters around the Bridge Side Marina in Bridge Isle, Louisiana, the tiny canine with a fluffy white coat wiggled his forelegs as if swimming, video of the cute moment shows.

— Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of wiggled

Verb

That said, when the door was closed and the curtains pulled, the bustle of Waikīkī disappeared, allowing for a quiet night’s sleep.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Nov. 2026
Moscow has demanded that the alliance's troops be pulled back from Russia's borders.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of pulled

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twitch

twitched

twitches

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“Twitched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitched. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of twitched

verb

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