1
as in fidgeted
to make jerky or restless movements
the dog twitched in her sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in jerked
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
the rabbit twitched its nose
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Recent Examples of twitched
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.
—
Freida Frisaro, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Their usefulness remains an open question At the back of a conference hall at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, a humanoid robot twitched through a preprogrammed wave for a crowd of cell phone cameras—a classic scene of high spectacle and unclear utility at CES.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2026
As the drugs flowed, Randolph's eyes were closed and his face twitched slightly.
—David Fischer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 21 Nov. 2025
His eyes twitched in rapid blinks, his lips disappeared as if cold fury were coursing through his body.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Her hand twitched from the heat.
—Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Freida Frisaro, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Their usefulness remains an open question At the back of a conference hall at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, a humanoid robot twitched through a preprogrammed wave for a crowd of cell phone cameras—a classic scene of high spectacle and unclear utility at CES.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2026
As the drugs flowed, Randolph's eyes were closed and his face twitched slightly.
—David Fischer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 21 Nov. 2025
His eyes twitched in rapid blinks, his lips disappeared as if cold fury were coursing through his body.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Her hand twitched from the heat.
—Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twitched
Verb
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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
Verb
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We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Carl squirmed away from some of his earlier remarks minimizing the Holocaust but stood by his views on anti-white persecution and the Great Replacement.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel drew walks, sandwiched around a Trout single, and then Soler yanked a three-run double down the left field line.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
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Minnesota starter Taj Bradley struck out nine over 4 1/3 innings, but was yanked after throwing 92 pitches.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Freshman Jocelyn Monroe tossed a complete-game five-inning shutout, striking out 12, as the Grapevine Faith Lions rolled to a 10-0 run-rule triumph over the Fort Worth Southwest Christian Eagles in a TAPPS Division II District 1 contest Tuesday at Oak Grove Park.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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The right-hander tossed six innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out nine and walking three.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Since then, the larger culture has lurched rightward, with big corporations abandoning progressive signaling in favor of…other priorities.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Over the course of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term, CPS has lurched from budget crisis to budget crisis, able only to muddle through due to record-breaking mayoral declarations of tax-increment-financing surpluses.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Over at the Place Pigalle, salty comedians told jokes as exotic dancers wiggled their stuff.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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Poking at the dirt outside of the home with a sharp metal rod soldered to a handle, Tello wiggled the rod around, pulled it out, and smelled it.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The North Huntingdon Township Police Department said the homeowner pulled a gun on the utility worker, who was sent to shut off service, and chased him away from his home on Water Street in Ardara.—
Erika Stanish,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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When Tree City Juice & Smoothie Cafe pulled the plug on its two brick-and-mortar restaurants last year, the closures hit home for Bethany Anderson.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twitched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitched. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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