tic
Pathology.
a sudden, spasmodic, painless, involuntary muscular contraction, as of the face.
a persistent or recurrent behavioral trait; personal quirk: her distinctive verbal tics.
Origin of tic
1Words that may be confused with tic
- tic , tick
Other definitions for -tic (2 of 2)
a suffix, equivalent in meaning to -ic, occurring in adjectives of Greek origin (analytic), used especially in the formation of adjectives from nouns with stems in -sis: hematotic; neurotic.
Origin of -tic
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tic in a sentence
He reiterated the statements “I am not a politician” and “I am not a political advisor” so often that it seemed like a verbal tic.
He was asked if he worried that a tic might someday cause him to drop a ball.
Why Tourette’s May Be Tim Howard’s Secret Weapon on the Field | Michael Daly | July 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 2013, Der Spiegel pressed him on his condition: Der Spiegel: Has a ball ever slipped out of your hands because of a tic?
She seemed resolutely on message, quoting Ronald Reagan with such frequency that it almost bordered on being a verbal tic.
Tea Party Tests Its Might in Texas by Opposing Conservative Rep. Pete Sessions | Ben Jacobs | January 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt's a telling tic that we often use "urban" as a synonym for "black."
But never mind; I cal'late this p'tic'lar pup won't bite; I've pulled his teeth, I guess.
Cap'n Eri | Joseph Crosby LincolnOrnithoman′tic; Ornithoph′ilous, bird-fertilised; Or′nithopod, Ornithop′odous, having feet like a bird.
Periphras′tic, -al, containing or expressed by periphrasis or circumlocution.
Plethore′tic, Plethor′ic, -al, afflicted with plethora: superabundant: turgid.
Porismat′ic, -al; Poris′tic, -al, reducing a determinate problem to an indeterminate.
British Dictionary definitions for tic
/ (tɪk) /
Origin of tic
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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