twitch

CEFRB2

/twɪt͡ʃ/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To make a sudden small movement that you cannot control.

  2. 02

    noun

    A sudden small uncontrolled movement.

Examples

  • He began to twitch uncontrollably as I called 911.

  • I have a twitch in my right eye.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • [tʰw̥ɪt͡ʃ]

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. A stick with a hole in one end through which passes a loop, which can be drawn tightly over the upper lip or an ear of a horse and twisted to keep the animal quiet during minor surgery.

  2. Action of spotting or seeking out a bird, especially a rare one.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A brief, small (sometimes involuntary) movement out of place and then back again; a spasm.

More examples

In context

  • I saw a little twitch in the man's face, and knew he was lying.

  • His fingers were nervously twitching.

  • to twitch somebody's sleeve for attention

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

His eye began to blank uncontrollably due to the bright light.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English twicchen, from Old English *twiċċan, from Proto-West Germanic *twikkijan (“to nail, pin, fasten, clasp, pinch”). Cognate with English tweak, Low German twikken, German Low German twicken (“to pinch, pinch off”), zweckōn and gizwickan (> German zwicken (“to pinch”)).