1
: local and habitual spasmodic motion of particular muscles especially of the face : twitching
2
: a frequent usually unconscious quirk of behavior or speech
"you know" is a verbal tic
Synonyms
Examples of tic in a Sentence
The verbal tic “you know” often occurs in her speech.
constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics
Recent Examples on the Web
All three brothers have Tourette’s but none of them show any tics during the interview.
—
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024
Naturally, the always Mary Katherine also had to share her signature tic with the VP: Shoving her hands under her armpits and then sniffing her fingers.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
In a sketch mocking Céline Dion’s recent, inexplicable promo for Sunday Night Football, the chameleonic chanteuse absolutely nails Dion’s French Canadian accent, inflections, vocal tics, and confidence.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2024
Never mind caring about any of these characters, a word that should technically be in scare quotes here, though kudos to the cast for being so nimble in switching personality traits, defining tics and signature cadences on a dime.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024
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Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024
Naturally, the always Mary Katherine also had to share her signature tic with the VP: Shoving her hands under her armpits and then sniffing her fingers.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
In a sketch mocking Céline Dion’s recent, inexplicable promo for Sunday Night Football, the chameleonic chanteuse absolutely nails Dion’s French Canadian accent, inflections, vocal tics, and confidence.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2024
Never mind caring about any of these characters, a word that should technically be in scare quotes here, though kudos to the cast for being so nimble in switching personality traits, defining tics and signature cadences on a dime.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tic
Dictionary Entries Near tic
Cite this Entry
“Tic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tic. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tic
noun1
: a regularly repeated twitching movement of a particular muscle and especially one of the face
2
: a particular form of behavior or speech that is often repeated
"you know" is a verbal tic
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