Twitch

/twɪt͡ʃ/ · noun

Meaning

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

Definitions by Sense

1. A brief, small (sometimes involuntary) movement out of place and then back again; a spasm.
2. (informal) Action of spotting or seeking out a bird, especially a rare one.
3. (farriery) 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.
4. (physiology) A brief, contractile response of a skeletal muscle elicited by a single maximal volley of impulses in the neurons supplying it.
5. (mining) The sudden narrowing almost to nothing of a vein of ore.
6. (birdwatching) A trip taken in order to observe a rare bird.
7. (intransitive) To perform a twitch; spasm.
8. (transitive) To cause to twitch; spasm.

Example Sentences

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

THE TWITCH is a short stick of strong ash, about the size of a mopstick, with a hole pierced near the end, through which is passed a piece of strong but small cord, and tied in a loop large enough to admit the open hand freely.

Siberian Crane [...] Following its departure, there was much speculation that rediscovery at a less inaccessible locality would lead to one of the great twitches of 1981; alas, this was not to be.

His fingers were nervously twitching.

Their feet padded softly on the ground, and they crept quite close to him, twitching their noses...

to twitch somebody's sleeve for attention

Thrice they twitched the diamond in her ear.

Marsh Sandpiper [...] This delicate ‘mini shank’ has graced our shores for the past six successive years and has become increasingly easy to twitch.

Synonyms for twitch

Antonyms for twitch

Related Words

Word Forms

• twitches
• twitching
• twitched

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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