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
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
My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.
—Maggie Downs, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
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
My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.
—Maggie Downs, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twitched
Verb
-
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 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
-
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
-
Texas coach Vic Schaefer has also yanked post players Justice Carlton and Ashton Judd after on-court errors in the first half, and the Longhorns entered this timeout with four guards and Oldacre on the court.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Mitchell’s companion yanked a necklace off Reed’s neck before both suspects fled the area, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
-
The big polar bear lurched forward, hitting top speed in two strides.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
-
As Matt Woosnam reflected recently, the Premier League’s feel-good story has lurched into night terrors.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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
Verb
-
At one point, the individual appears to tilt their head away from a doorbell camera, hold a flashlight in their mouth and attempt to cover the lens with a gloved hand and what looked like part of a plant pulled from the yard.—
Bradford Betz , Matt Finn,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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Wills pulled together a men’s fashion show with local and national celebrities, followed by dinner, dancing and a movie.—
Mark Woolsey,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twitched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twitched. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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