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Glite Dictionary
💢 To jerk slightly 💢 A small spasm 🎩 To flip quickly
to twitch

to twitch

79 2.8
To make a sudden small movement you cannot control, especially of a body part
  • verb
  • /twɪtʃ/
: dar un tic
  • My right hand began to twitch and move downward in small increments.
  • the eye twitched
  • the hand twitched
  • begin to twitch

We might dream, we might twitch, we might even wake up.

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Examples

  • As it travels through your bloodstream, you'll begin to sweat, twitch, salivate and get goosebumps.

  • You ought to see the little beasties twitch when they get a whiff of this stuff.

    Arachnophobia (1990)

  • If your ears start to twitch, will you let me know fast?

    The Angry Red Planet (1959)

  • Yeah, well, I just twitch and shout.

    Motherless Brooklyn (2019)

  • Your finger won't even twitch.

    Miami Vice (2006)

  • The muscles around his eyes twitched, and he stared at me.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • After a few moments of watching, some individuals abruptly began to twitch and wiggle their tails under the leaves.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Jill lies curled on the bed, her eyes twitching beneath their lids, deep in a dream.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • In 1771, Luigi Galvani discovered that electric sparks could cause a dead frog to twitch its legs.

    Academic text (2012)

  • She felt her eyelid twitch as she tried to concentrate on the exam.

Synonyms

to jerk
vsto twitch
98 2.0

To move something suddenly and sharply

is a sudden small movement without the larger force or sharpness
to quiver
vsto twitch
50 4.5

To shake in small, quick movements because of fear, cold, or excitement

is a sudden small movement rather than prolonged shaking
to spasm
vsto twitch
8 3.4

To make a muscle suddenly tighten without control

is a sudden small movement not always a contraction
to flutter
vsto twitch
5 4.4

To have the heart beat quickly and unevenly, often from excitement or nervousness

is a sudden small movement rather than a rapid irregular beating
to fibrillate
vsto twitch
  • Specialized
3 9.9

Make small, fast, irregular twitching movements in a muscle, especially the heart

is a small sudden movement that applies more broadly than the heart

How Strong

to convulse
16 7.8
to spasm
8 3.4
to jerk
98 2.0
to twitch
79 2.8
to flutter
52 3.5

Surface Forms

twitch infinitive
twitched past
twitched past participle
twitching present participle
twitches third person singular

Etymology

To twitch comes from the same old idea of a short 'pull' or 'jerk'. That's why to twitch is to make a sudden, small, often uncontrolled movement.