twitched

verb

past tense of twitch
1
as in fidgeted
to make jerky or restless movements the dog twitched in her sleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jerked
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion the rabbit twitched its nose

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of twitched Just then, Chee Meng’s fishing rod twitched, and the line began to run out. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 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 My jaw twitched uncontrollably. — Literary Hub, 15 May 2026 Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died. — Alina Hartounian, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026 Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later. — Freida Frisaro, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026 Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete. — Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026 Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me. — Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twitched
  1. fidgeted
  2. jerked
  3. squirmed
  4. yanked
  5. tossed
  6. lurched
  7. wiggled
  8. pulled
Verb
  • 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
Definition of fidgeted
Verb
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of jerked
Verb
  • Laura squirmed under her mother’s gaze, willed the light to turn green.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 May 2026
Definition of squirmed
Verb
  • Although nine episodes were filmed, only two aired before A&E yanked the controversial and critically panned series, WXIX reported at the time.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Two months later, Jimmy Kimmel Live was briefly yanked from the air over comments that host Jimmy Kimmel made about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of yanked
Verb
  • The suit was quickly tossed when the judge concluded the board was providing enough material.
    — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Some reports claimed that they were tossed onto the road near the site of his former toll booth.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of tossed
Verb
  • The airplane lurched skyward, and Elwood was strapped in for the ride.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Markets have lurched up and down as oil prices shot higher because of the war with Iran.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurched
Verb
  • Imanaga wiggled out of a one-out double in the first, then was supported by Pete Crow-Armstrong’s eighth leadoff home run of the season and the second in as many games.
    — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Hawaii put runners on base in each of the first four innings, but Kirk wiggled out of it until the fifth when Waiki Doctolero blasted a three-run home run to get Hawaii back in the game.
    — Dennis Pope, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of wiggled
Verb
  • Our shopping editors have done the wandering for you and pulled the furniture deals worth acting on before midnight, with some marked down by more than 50%.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Nick Pivetta yielded two runs and five hits while pitching into the fifth for the Padres, and Dustin May got pulled abruptly with a 1-0 count on Bogaerts and a runner aboard in the fourth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pulled

Browse Nearby Words

twitch
twitched
twitches
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Cite this Entry

“Twitched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitched. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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