twitch

[twich] /twɪtʃ/
verb (used with object)
1.
to tug or pull at with a quick, short movement; pluck:
She twitched him by the sleeve.
2.
to jerk rapidly:
The rider twitched the reins a couple of times.
3.
to move (a part of the body) with a sudden, jerking motion.
4.
to pinch or pull at sharply and painfully; give a smarting pinch to; nip.
verb (used without object)
5.
to move spasmodically or convulsively; jerk; jump.
6.
to give a sharp, sudden pull; tug; pluck (usually followed by at):
He constantly twitched at his collar.
7.
to ache or hurt with a sharp, shooting pain; twinge:
That back tooth twitches a bit.
noun
8.
a quick, jerky movement of the body or of some part of it.
9.
involuntary, spasmodic movement of a muscle; tic:
He gets a twitch in his left eye when he's nervous.
10.
a short, sudden pull or tug; jerk.
11.
a bodily or mental twinge, as of pain, conscience, etc.; pang.
12.
a loop or noose placed over the muzzle of a horse and tightened by twisting a stick or handle to which it is attached, used as a restraining device during a painful operation.
Origin
1125-75; Middle English twicchen (v.); akin to Old English twiccian to pluck; cognate with German zwicken to pinch
Related forms
twitcher, noun
twitchingly, adverb
untwitched, adjective
untwitching, adjective
Examples from the web for twitch
  • The posts have not only made me laugh, and twitch, but also convinced me to accept that my family will never understand.
  • In slow-twitch mode they burn fat, and are less prone to fatigue.
  • Movement interfered with the signals, so that even an eyebrow twitch could garble the brain impulses.
  • Slow-twitch fiber uses body fat in conjunction with oxygen to burn fat.
  • Even though their bodies twitch with impatience when she tries to tell them stories of her girlhood.
  • There is much in the book that will cause the poetry police to twitch their batons in anticipation.
  • Every word, every twitch transfixed the packed ballroom.
  • He is a ringmaster of language: alert to every possible twitch and roar.
  • As the music became increasingly ecstatic, a few members of the audience began to twitch and shake in a peculiar way.
  • Sprinters, however, derive their power from fast-twitch fibers that produce intense bursts of energy.
British Dictionary definitions for twitch

twitch

/twɪtʃ/
verb
1.
to move or cause to move in a jerky spasmodic way
2.
(transitive) to pull or draw (something) with a quick jerky movement
3.
(intransitive) to hurt with a sharp spasmodic pain
4.
(transitive) (rare) to nip
noun
5.
a sharp jerking movement
6.
a mental or physical twinge
7.
a sudden muscular spasm, esp one caused by a nervous condition Compare tic
8.
a loop of cord used to control a horse by drawing it tight about its upper lip
Derived Forms
twitching, adjective, noun
Word Origin
Old English twiccian to pluck; related to Old High German zwecchōn to pinch, Dutch twicken
Word Origin and History for twitch
v.

late 12c., to-twic-chen "pull apart with a quick jerk," related to Old English twiccian "to pluck," from Proto-Germanic *twikjonan (cf. Low German twicken, Dutch twikken, Old High German gizwickan, German zwicken "to pinch, tweak"). Related: Twitched; twitching. The noun is attested from 1520s.

twitch in Medicine

twitch (twĭch)
v. twitched, twitch·ing, twitch·es

  1. To draw, pull, or move suddenly and sharply; jerk.

  2. To move jerkily or spasmodically.

  3. To ache sharply from time to time; twinge.

n.
A sudden involuntary or spasmodic muscular movement.