Definition

1. Noun:

   • A sudden, brief, sharp pain or spasm: A physical sensation that is localized, intense, and short-lived.
   • A sudden, brief, sharp feeling of an emotion: A momentary pang of a mental or emotional state, such as regret, guilt, jealousy, or excitement.

2. Verb:

   • To feel a sudden, sharp, local pain: To experience a twinge.
   • To cause a sudden, sharp, stinging pain: To produce a sensation like a twinge.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • He felt a twinge in his back when he lifted the heavy box.
  • She experienced a twinge of nostalgia when she saw her old school.
  • I felt a twinge of guilt for forgetting her birthday.

• Verb:

  • His knee twinged as he stood up.
  • The memory twinged her conscience.

Advanced Usage

• The noun is often used in the pattern "a twinge of [noun]" to specify the type of feeling.
  • a twinge of anxiety, a twinge of envy, a twinge of disappointment
• It can describe a physical warning sign or a minor, recurring pain.
  • After the surgery, he only felt the occasional twinge.

Variants and Related Words

• Twingeing/Twinging (present participle/gerund forms of the verb).
  • His ankle kept twingeing throughout the match.

Synonyms

• Noun: pang, stab, prick, stitch, spasm, pinch.
• Verb: prick, sting, pinch, smart.

Related Phrases

• A twinge of conscience: A brief feeling of guilt or moral unease.
  • He told the lie without a twinge of conscience.

Noun

1. a sharp stab of pain
2. a sudden sharp feeling
   • pangs of regret
   • she felt a stab of excitement
   • twinges of conscience

Verb

1. squeeze tightly between the fingers
   • He pinched her behind
   • She squeezed the bottle
2. feel a sudden sharp, local pain
3. cause a stinging pain
   • The needle pricked his skin