tweak

1 of 2

verb

tweaked; tweaking; tweaks

transitive verb

1
: to make usually small adjustments in or to
tweak the controls
especially : fine-tune
2
: to injure slightly
3
: to pinch (a person or a body part) lightly or playfully
4
: to pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist : twitch
tweaked a bud from the stem
5
a
: annoy, bother
tweaking the establishment
b
: to criticize especially in a sly or sharp manner
c
: to poke fun at

intransitive verb

1
: pull, pluck
2
: to make small adjustments

tweak

2 of 2

noun

plural tweaks
1
: a small change or adjustment
We made a few tweaks to the original recipe.
Jellyfish collects information about what's happening behind the scenes and rushes it to its corporate clients so they can make investments based on things like forthcoming regulations or tax code tweaks.Tim Murphy
They'd try making helpful tweaks to the way my chair faced the computer …Lucette Lagnado
2
: a sharp pinch or jerk
a tweak of the nose
Archie laughed, and Rose, seeing a merry blue eye winking at her from behind two brown hands, gave Charlie's ear a friendly tweakLouisa May Alcott
3
: a slight injury causing pain
… it's worth remembering that Pryor is a more dangerous runner than passer, so even a slight tweak of the leg or ankle could be a significant blow to the offense at State College.Bob Hunter

Examples of tweak in a Sentence

Verb We just wanted to tweak his original idea a bit. He tweaked his ankle playing soccer. My brother hates it when our grandmother tweaks his cheek.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Trams are great, so there's no reason not to tweak them and roll them out. Nicole Kobie, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025 The focus this offseason was on tweaking personnel up front after the Badgers ranked 91st nationally in run defense at 165 yards allowed per game, the worst program mark in 19 years. Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Noun
The players are good, one or two tweaks will help but the whole squad doesn’t need to go into the bin, and the manager needs longer in training to incorporate big changes. Mark Carey, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025 Some people experience it episodically, like at the start of menstruation, and dietary tweaks can help relieve it; other times, antibiotics are necessary. Angela Haupt, TIME, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tweak

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably alteration of Middle English twikken to pull sharply, from Old English twiccian to pluck — more at twitch entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1601, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tweak was in 1601

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Cite this Entry

“Tweak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tweak. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

tweak

verb
1
: to pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist
2
: to make small adjustments in or to
tweak the controls
3
: to injure slightly
tweak noun

More from Merriam-Webster on tweak

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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