1
: local and habitual spasmodic motion of particular muscles especially of the face : twitching
2
: a frequent usually unconscious quirk of behavior or speech
"you know" is a verbal tic
Synonyms
Examples of tic in a Sentence
The verbal tic “you know” often occurs in her speech.
constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics
Recent Examples on the Web
For a broad swath of citizens, outright lying in the short term (as a way of securing long-term goals) had become a tactic, a way to behave, a kind of accepted ethical tic.
—
David Friend, Washington Post, 27 June 2024
The findings suggest something has changed in the lexicon of scientific writing—a development that might be caused by the writing tics of increasingly present chatbots.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 1 May 2024
Ditto Stone’s solo dance scene, a bit of nonsense that feels like an anxious tic inserted to make the movie go viral on TikTok.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
This tic here only further fleshes out just how screamingly insincere Trump sounds when attempting to sound like a devout Christian — something Colin Jost also skewers later on in Weekend Update.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tic 
David Friend, Washington Post, 27 June 2024
The findings suggest something has changed in the lexicon of scientific writing—a development that might be caused by the writing tics of increasingly present chatbots.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 1 May 2024
Ditto Stone’s solo dance scene, a bit of nonsense that feels like an anxious tic inserted to make the movie go viral on TikTok.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
This tic here only further fleshes out just how screamingly insincere Trump sounds when attempting to sound like a devout Christian — something Colin Jost also skewers later on in Weekend Update.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tic
Cite this Entry
“Tic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tic. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tic
noun1
: a regularly repeated twitching movement of a particular muscle and especially one of the face
2
: a particular form of behavior or speech that is often repeated
"you know" is a verbal tic
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