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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1
as in fidgeting
to make jerky or restless movements
the dog twitched in her sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jerking
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
the rabbit twitched its nose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of twitching
Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026
During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses were born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms, according to the AP.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses was born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The disease, which gets worse over time, starts with muscle twitching, slurred speech, or weakness in an arm or leg.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 20 Feb. 2026
After 10 weeks without food, Muraisi is experiencing involuntary muscular twitching and severe chest pains, according to Prisoners for Palestine, with her doctors warning of possible cardiovascular collapse.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026
Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, as Decker did.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
The more serious side effects of caffeine overdose include trouble breathing, sudden high blood pressure, muscle twitching, confusion, vomiting and seizures.
—News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Dea Jusufi, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
Curry’s body began convulsing and twitching with increasing severity, consistent with him sustaining a traumatic brain injury from being punched in the face, documents state.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Afternoon Ben Thanh Market is Hồ Chí Minh’s biggest market – a vast maze of 1,500 stalls selling everything from still-twitching fish to electronics and souvenirs.
—Tamara Hinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
So when an octopus starts flashing colors and twitching in its sleep, the parallels are hard to ignore.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
The story still lays there on the table, limp as a corpse, but freakishly still twitching.
—Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
As the drugs started flowing, King began breathing heavily, his body twitching.
—David Fischer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
As the drugs started flowing, King began breathing heavily, his body twitching.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Behind them a young man with a paint-flecked beard followed the designer about the set, twitching the hem of the velvet curtains hung at the window and rearranging the ornaments on the mantelpiece.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026
During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses were born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms, according to the AP.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses was born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The disease, which gets worse over time, starts with muscle twitching, slurred speech, or weakness in an arm or leg.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 20 Feb. 2026
After 10 weeks without food, Muraisi is experiencing involuntary muscular twitching and severe chest pains, according to Prisoners for Palestine, with her doctors warning of possible cardiovascular collapse.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026
Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, as Decker did.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
The more serious side effects of caffeine overdose include trouble breathing, sudden high blood pressure, muscle twitching, confusion, vomiting and seizures.
—News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Verb
Here, American fighter planes, cargo ships and Japanese freighters have spent decades transforming into thriving artificial reefs, draped in coral and surrounded by twitching clouds of tropical fish.
—Dea Jusufi, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
Curry’s body began convulsing and twitching with increasing severity, consistent with him sustaining a traumatic brain injury from being punched in the face, documents state.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Afternoon Ben Thanh Market is Hồ Chí Minh’s biggest market – a vast maze of 1,500 stalls selling everything from still-twitching fish to electronics and souvenirs.
—Tamara Hinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
So when an octopus starts flashing colors and twitching in its sleep, the parallels are hard to ignore.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
The story still lays there on the table, limp as a corpse, but freakishly still twitching.
—Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
As the drugs started flowing, King began breathing heavily, his body twitching.
—David Fischer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
As the drugs started flowing, King began breathing heavily, his body twitching.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Behind them a young man with a paint-flecked beard followed the designer about the set, twitching the hem of the velvet curtains hung at the window and rearranging the ornaments on the mantelpiece.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twitching
Noun
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All the trembling, as Kimbangu touched the sick, alarmed European settlers and reassured the plantation workers who trekked to Nkamba in search of healing.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action.—
Ben Lerner,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Pekara said hospital surveillance footage captured him fidgeting under the blanket.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
As the court moved to watch the KSTU-TV segment, Tyler Robinson appeared to begin fidgeting, with one of his hands moving and rubbing his fingers back and forth.—
Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of seizures can include short-term confusion, staring spells, stiff muscles and jerking movements of the arms and legs.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Avoid jerking the floss or aggressive movements; instead, use smooth, gentle motions.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Unless your companion could use a hand or is traveling with young kids (in the latter case, if this person also happens to be your spouse or partner, really not cool to leave them with the stroller, diaper bag, squirming kids).—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
The player who was hit by the cart immediately grabbed his thigh and knee area while squirming in pain on the ground.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
There are stories of major Nashville players yanking him off the street, keeping him drunk for days in hotels, then leaving Knoxville with stacks of new songs.—
Jonathan Rowe,
SPIN,
1 June 2026
-
Since early May, companies that used the dry milk powder in their food products have been yanking those products on the concern they might be contaminated with salmonella.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The old dog slowed to a stop, nose full of bird stink, feathery tail quivering.—
Joel M. Vance,
Outdoor Life,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The video appears to show a person standing with a snow shovel outside the house, near the street, then retreating toward the house and tossing the shovel into the yard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Toast 1 cup raw walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.—
Kamal Mouzawak,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twitching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitching. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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