Synonyms of twitching

twitching 1 of 2

noun

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

• trembling
• shaking
• quivering
• vibration
• shivering
• shuddering
• tremor
• twitch
• oscillation
• jiggling
• rocking
• tremble
• shake
• quaking
• shudder
• quiver
• shiver
• juddering
• palpitation
• jiggle

twitching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of twitch

1

as in fidgeting

to make jerky or restless movements

the dog twitched in her sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fidgeting
• jerking
• squirming
• tossing
• trembling
• twisting
• wiggling
• fiddling
• writhing
• shivering
• shaking
• jigging
• wriggling
• jiggling
• quivering
• fluttering
• thrashing
• shuddering
• squiggling
• flitting
• threshing
• quaking
• pacing
• twittering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• resting
• relaxing
• unwinding
• calming (down)
• stilling

2

as in jerking

to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion

the rabbit twitched its nose

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jerking
• yanking
• lurching
• pulling
• shaking
• tugging
• grabbing
• jolting
• bucking
• bumping
• hitching
• tearing
• hoicking
• jigging
• dragging
• staggering
• jiggling
• jouncing
• plucking
• ripping
• snatching
• jogging
• lugging
• tweaking
• joggling
• wringing
• snapping (up)
• pitching
• wrenching
• wresting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of twitching

Noun

About a minute later, Guardado began breathing heavily, followed by some sputtering and twitching. — Kim Chandler, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026

About a minute into the injection, Guardado began breathing heavily, followed by some sputtering and twitching that lasted about another minute. — David Fischer, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026

Each night, Portia settles upside down beneath its silk abode, alternating prolonged stillness with brief episodes of retinal movements, twitching, and occasional leg curling. — New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026

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

Verb

So take a gander at our favorite gifts of the season, now vibrating and twitching with life. — Vogue, 7 Nov. 2026

Previous research by the researchers documented twitching limbs and moving retinas in another jumping spider species. — New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026

This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026

Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep. — ABC News, 30 July 2026

Somewhere, John Tortorella's eye is twitching with rage after that. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026

There is something cultish about that idea — the player who tends not to start but has the knack to appear later on with antennae twitching, ready to seize the day and alter the course of a match. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Leon Stetson was allegedly twitching, so officers moved him away from Carrie Stetson and started to render medical aid. — Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2026

Durrell alternates between slapstick domestic high jinks, wanderings through the lush natural landscape, and increasingly ambitious investigations of biological life, from tracking twitching bacteria in pond water to the mating habits of insects. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 10 June 2026