as in to twitch
to make jerky or restless movements
small children are likely to fidget in church
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fidget
When fastened, the zippers are locked in place, and pickpockets would have to fidget for a moment to get the gadget undone, giving you time to react.
—
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026
The design was inspired by the hair-tearing boredom of COVID lockdown-era remote work, a time in which Knafs founder Ben Petersen maintained sanity during Zoom calls by fidgeting around with pocket knives and doodling pictures.
—New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2026
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fidget
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026
The design was inspired by the hair-tearing boredom of COVID lockdown-era remote work, a time in which Knafs founder Ben Petersen maintained sanity during Zoom calls by fidgeting around with pocket knives and doodling pictures.
—New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2026
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fidget
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fidget
Verb
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Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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It’s not made explicitly clear if these seemingly sympathetic kids are actually his worst bullies, but Machado-Graner’s eyes, lip twitch, and throat gulp in this short sequence tell a whole story in themselves.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
Verb
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With trainers immediately sprinting to the mound to check on Major, the former West Virginia pitcher could be seen squirming on the ground in serious pain.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
-
The boy is screaming, squirming.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Verb
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The third-base umpire tossed Angels reliever Brent Suter and Rays pitchers Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodríguez from the late-afternoon game at Tropicana Field.—
Chantz Martin OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
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Various objects had been tossed from the two-level porch and lay scattered across the grass.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
Verb
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In the summer of 2020, former Morgan Stanley trader Adam Crawley was wandering through Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, perfecting his qigong with a man called Master YanG, when a cold message on LinkedIn jerked him back to reality.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Don’t twist or jerk the tick, which can cause the mouth to break off in your skin.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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On Sunday, the lineup includes Tatiana Hargreaves, a rising-star in the bluegrass fiddling scene, with her band and special guest Michael Daves; the honky-tonk duo Caleb Lauder and Reeb Wllms with their band the Cali Cutups; and Pleasanton native and all-world strings player Tony Furtado.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
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The contract model means that when Congress fiddles, it isn’t impacted.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The first huddle of a summer Chiefs practice Thursday began with something of a trademark — the right-hand fingers of quarterback Patrick Mahomes wiggling in the air, requesting a play call.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
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De Avila nearly wiggled out of a huge jam in the first inning, producing two strikeouts after the Knights loaded the bases with no outs.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fidget.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fidget. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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