tic
tic — noun
- ticsingular
- ticsplural
1. a quick, involuntary jerk of a muscle — typically in the face or neck — that a p
a quick, involuntary jerk of a muscle — typically in the face or neck — that a person cannot stop, often linked to stress or a nerve condition
Ryo felt a tic pull at the corner of his eye during the interview.
collocation: tic + pull at [body part]
The doctor explained that Faisal's facial tic was made worse by heavy stress.
collocation: facial tic
Nellie tried to hide the tic in her cheek by turning her head slowly.
Whenever Caio spoke before the class, a small tic appeared near his mouth.
The neurologist told Niran that the eyelid tic would fade on its own within weeks.
用法筆記
Frequently paired with body-part words (facial tic, eyelid tic, shoulder tic). Distinguish from sense 2 (BEHAVIORAL QUIRK): this sense always involves a physical muscle movement, not a speech or behaviour pattern.
常見錯誤
2. a small, repeated habit in the way someone speaks or acts — like clearing the th
a small, repeated habit in the way someone speaks or acts — like clearing the throat often or tapping fingers — that they do without noticing
Tariro's verbal tic of saying 'you know' after every sentence annoyed her friends.
collocation: verbal tic
Ryo had a small tic of drumming his fingers on the desk while reading.
pattern: tic of + verb-ing
Faisal's tic of clearing his throat before speaking made his colleagues smile.
Nellie had a tic of tapping her pen three times at every meeting.
The dentist's messages to his patients always ended with two exclamation marks — a friendly tic they came to expect.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (MUSCLE TWITCH): this sense describes a repeated speech or behaviour habit, not a physical muscle movement. The tic is often verbal (a filler word or phrase) or gestural (tapping, clearing the throat).
常見錯誤
tic — verb
- ticpresent simple I / you / we / they
- tics3rd person singular
- ticcing-ing form
- ticcedpast simple
1. to experience quick, involuntary twitches, most often in the face, usually from
to experience quick, involuntary twitches, most often in the face, usually from stress or a nerve condition
Ryo's eyelid began to tic badly during the final minutes of the driving test.
intransitive: [body part] + tic
Faisal noticed his thumb started to tic whenever he felt anxious about money.
The muscle beneath Nellie's right eye tics whenever she stays up too late.
Caio's left shoulder began to tic after he switched to a stronger coffee.
Niran gripped the arms of the dentist's chair, staying completely still, yet the corner of his mouth began to tic.
- twitch
more common in everyday speech; 'tic' as a verb is rarer and more clinical
文法句型
[body part] + tic
用法筆記
Almost always intransitive. The subject is typically a body part (eyelid, shoulder, cheek), not the person. Distinguish from the noun sense 1 (MUSCLE TWITCH): as a verb, it describes the action of twitching rather than the twitch itself.