twitching 1 of 2

as in trembling
a series of slight movements by a body back and forth or from side to side the twitching of my cat's ears was a signal that I should stop petting her before she got any angrier

Synonyms & Similar Words

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twitching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of twitch

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 twitching
Noun
Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, often followed by slurred speech. Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures. ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025 Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles. Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 16 Sep. 2025 Koberidze opens with a montage of cats, foot traffic, street dogs twitching in their sleep, statues and trees casting long shadows across buildings. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Aug. 2025 Prater, who was expecting gory details, is a little harder to read, though his face twitching doesn’t seem like a great sign. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twitching
Noun
  • Lost in the trembling of my own body, trembling like Bunny’s body.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Olsen plays Joan’s indecision with winsome fluster, at first breathy and trembling but eventually finding her resolve.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Applause intermingled with tears as the families of the Camp Mystic campers and counselors looked on, many with small children fidgeting in their Sunday-best attire behind the governor.
    Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • He, too, was bowled over by the film's tear-jerking finale.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
  • With an epic Oscar-winning title song by Streisand and tear-jerking scenes aplenty, this film is a perennial favorite and often referred to in pop culture.
    Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
    CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Both are from Los Angeles and were surprised by the power of the shaking.
    Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
  • With net in hand, the future microbial geochemist dredged up seaweed and mud squirming with snails, crab larvae and other small invertebrates.
    Laura Poppick, Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In the footage, a uniformed officer is seen forcibly grabbing the female passenger’s arm and yanking her towards the aisle.
    Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Stern is one of several high-profile entertainments hosts who have condemned ABC and Disney for yanking Kimmel off the air.
    Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Pests, disease, and weather can all play a part in unsightly stretches of brown grass, and tossing some grass seed over the area may not be the answer.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Reuters reported that the actor could be seen tossing water bottles into the crowd.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.
    Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
  • The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
    Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Twitching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitching. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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