Library / English Dictionary

    TWITCH

    Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

     I. (noun) 

    Sense 1

    Meaning:

    A sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous conditionplay

    Synonyms:

    twitch; twitching; vellication

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

    Hypernyms ("twitch" is a kind of...):

    cramp; muscle spasm; spasm (a painful and involuntary muscular contraction)

    Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "twitch"):

    tic (a local and habitual twitching especially in the face)

    blepharism (condition in which a person blinks continuously)

    fibrillation (muscular twitching involving individual muscle fibers acting without coordination)

    fasciculation (muscular twitching of contiguous groups of muscle fibers)

    Derivation:

    twitch (make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion)

    twitch (move with abrupt, seemingly uncontrolled motions)

     II. (verb) 

    Verb forms

    Present simple: I / you / we / they twitch  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation ... he / she / it twitches  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    Past simple: twitched  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    Past participle: twitched  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    -ing form: twitching  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    Sense 1

    Meaning:

    Make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motionplay

    Example:

    his face is twitching

    Synonyms:

    jerk; twitch

    Classified under:

    Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

    Hypernyms (to "twitch" is one way to...):

    move involuntarily; move reflexively (move in an uncontrolled manner)

    Verb group:

    jerk; twitch (move with abrupt, seemingly uncontrolled motions)

    Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "twitch"):

    fibrillate (make fine, irregular, rapid twitching movements)

    Sentence frames:

    Somebody ----s
    Somebody's (body part) ----s

    Derivation:

    twitch; twitching (a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition)

    Sense 2

    Meaning:

    Move or pull with a sudden motionplay

    Classified under:

    Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

    Hypernyms (to "twitch" is one way to...):

    draw; pull (cause to move by pulling)

    Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "twitch"):

    skitter (twitch the hook of a fishing line through or along the surface of water)

    Sentence frames:

    Something ----s
    Somebody ----s
    Something is ----ing PP
    Somebody ----s PP

    Sense 3

    Meaning:

    Squeeze tightly between the fingersplay

    Example:

    She squeezed the bottle

    Synonyms:

    nip; pinch; squeeze; tweet; twinge; twitch

    Classified under:

    Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

    Hypernyms (to "twitch" is one way to...):

    grip (hold fast or firmly)

    Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "twitch"):

    goose (pinch in the buttocks)

    tweak (pinch or squeeze sharply)

    Sentence frames:

    Somebody ----s something
    Something ----s something

    Sense 4

    Meaning:

    Move with abrupt, seemingly uncontrolled motionsplay

    Example:

    The patient's legs were jerkings

    Synonyms:

    jerk; twitch

    Classified under:

    Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

    Hypernyms (to "twitch" is one way to...):

    move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

    Verb group:

    jerk; twitch (make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion)

    Sentence frames:

    Something ----s
    Somebody ----s
    Somebody ----s something
    Somebody ----s PP

    Derivation:

    twitch; twitching (a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition)

    Sense 5

    Meaning:

    Toss with a sharp movement so as to cause to turn over in the airplay

    Synonyms:

    flip; twitch

    Classified under:

    Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

    Hypernyms (to "twitch" is one way to...):

    move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

    Sentence frames:

    Something ----s
    Somebody ----s
    Somebody ----s something

    Credits

     Context examples: 

    He spoke now with a feverish energy, the long hands twitching and jerking as he motioned me away.

    (His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

    Skeletal muscle fibers having high myofibrillar ATPase activity, high glycolytic enzyme activities, and an intermediate glycogen content which produce a fast twitch.

    (Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

    Careful administration of very small doses of toxin can restrict its action locally to reduce overactive muscles, such as those involved in twitching of the eyes.

    (Botulin Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

    His face was ghastly white, twitching with suppressed pain. He looked very sick.

    (The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

    When they halted, it halted, throwing up its head and regarding them steadily with nostrils that twitched as it caught and studied the scent of them.

    (White Fang, by Jack London)

    Fasciculations can often by visualized and take the form of a muscle twitch or dimpling under the skin, but usually do not generate sufficient force to move a limb.

    (Fasciculation, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

    At this solemn indictment the novice raised his hand and twitched his lip, while even the placid senior brothers glanced across at each other and coughed to cover their amusement.

    (The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

    Right in the middle there lay the body of a man sorely contorted and still twitching.

    (The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

    Symptoms include muscle weakness, wasting, twitching, trouble swallowing, and slowly becoming paralyzed.

    (Motor neuron disease, NCI Dictionary)

    Hitherto his orgies had always been confined to one day, and he had come back, twitching and shattered, in the evening.

    (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)


    © 1991-2023 The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin | Titi Tudorancea® is a Registered Trademark | Terms of use and privacy policy
    Contact