Definition

1. Noun:

   • A sudden, quick, and often uncontrollable movement of a small part of the body, especially a muscle or group of muscles.
   • A brief, sharp pull or jerk.

2. Verb:

   • To make a sudden, quick, and often uncontrollable movement with a part of the body.
   • To pull or move something with a light, quick jerk.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He felt a nervous twitch in his eyelid.
  • The rabbit's nose gave a little twitch.

• Verb:

  • Her lip began to twitch as she tried not to cry.
  • The fisherman twitched the line to attract the fish.

Advanced Usage

• "to twitch at something": to react with a sudden, small movement.
  • She twitched at the sudden noise.
• "to have a twitch": to be prone to or have a condition involving involuntary muscle movements.
  • The old man had a twitch in his left hand.

Variants and Related Words

• Twitchy (adj): nervous and making small, sudden movements.
  • He became twitchy when waiting for the results.
• Twitching (n/adj): the action or an instance of twitching; characterized by twitches.
  • The constant twitching was a symptom of the condition.

Synonyms

• Jerk: a quick, sharp, sudden movement.
• Spasm: a sudden involuntary muscular contraction.
• Tic: a habitual, repetitive twitch, especially in the face.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Twitch" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meaning is typically contained in the single verb form.)

Related Idioms

• "To give someone the twitches": to make someone feel nervous or uneasy.
  • That strange noise is giving me the twitches.

Noun

1. a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition

Verb

1. move or pull with a sudden motion
2. squeeze tightly between the fingers
   • He pinched her behind
   • She squeezed the bottle
3. toss with a sharp movement so as to cause to turn over in the air
4. move with abrupt, seemingly uncontrolled motions
   • The patient's legs were jerkings
5. make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion
   • his face is twitching