twitch
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A brief, small movement out of place and then back again.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
twichIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtwɪtʃ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A brief, small (sometimes involuntary) movement out of place and then back again; a spasm.
birdwatching
A trip taken in order to observe a rare bird.
physiology
A brief, contractile response of a skeletal muscle elicited by a single maximal volley of impulses in the neurons supplying it.
farriery
A stick with a hole in one end through which passes a loop, which can be drawn tightly over the upper lip or an ear of a horse and twisted to keep the animal quiet during minor surgery.
informal
Action of spotting or seeking out a bird, especially a rare one.
Couch grass (Elymus repens; a species of grass, often considered as a weed)
verb
Toss with a sharp movement so as to cause to turn over in the air
transitive
To jerk sharply and briefly.
transitive
To spot or seek out a bird, especially a rare one.
intransitive
To perform a twitch; spasm.
transitive
To cause to twitch; spasm.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A brief, small (sometimes involuntary) movement out of place and then back again; a spasm.
Used this way, twitch is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use twitch
- “His face is twitching.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A sudden muscle spasm.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “twitch” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.