as in twitched
to make jerky or restless movements
small children are likely to fidget in church
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Recent Examples of fidgeted
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.
—
Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025
Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fidgeted
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
The open section of their session lasted for 15 minutes — and Howe will have squirmed through every second — but there were laughs amid the stretches and shuttle runs.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
She could also be grilled about her efforts to revive cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York's Democratic Attorney General Tish James after indictments against them were tossed.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Both cases have since been tossed by a federal judge, who found that the prosecutor was unlawfully appointed.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But what does some scientist know about eating fruit, of all things, when your hamstring feels like it’s being fiddled by Satan?—
Dan England,
Outside,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As Rossini stowed her purse in a tiny back office, a manager named Katie Atlas was onboarding a new employee, a young woman who fiddled nervously with her necklace.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Serena wiggled her neck at me, her face inches from mine.—
Datwon Thomas,
VIBE.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Peterson wiggled his fingers toward the bench, an all-too-familiar sign.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fidgeted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fidgeted. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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