twinge
/twɪndʒ/ (bre, ipa) · [twˈɪndʒ] /twɪndʒ/ (ame, ipa) · [twˈɪndʒ] /ˈtwinj How to pronounce twinge (audio)/ (ame, mw)
twinge — noun
- twingesingular
- twingesplural
1. a sudden, brief unpleasant feeling that can be either a sharp pain in a specific
a sudden, brief unpleasant feeling that can be either a sharp pain in a specific spot of your body or a short moment of an emotion such as guilt or regret
After jogging, Inês felt a sharp twinge in her knee climbing the stairs.
twinge in + body part — physical location pattern
A twinge of guilt passed through Liang when he realised he forgot his mother's birthday.
twinge of + emotion — pattern for emotional feelings
Renata felt a twinge of regret as she watched the train pull away.
Karim rubbed his shoulder, trying to ease the twinge that came with each deep breath.
文法句型
a twinge of [pain/guilt/regret]
feel/experience a twinge
用法筆記
Unlike 'ache' or 'pain,' a twinge is always very brief — it appears suddenly and disappears quickly. The emotional meaning (a twinge of guilt/regret) is at least as common as the physical one in modern English.
常見錯誤
twinge — verb
- twingepresent simple I / you / we / they
- twinges3rd person singular
- twinging-ing form
- twingedpast simple
1. to give someone a sudden sharp feeling of pain or emotional discomfort, as if a
to give someone a sudden sharp feeling of pain or emotional discomfort, as if a brief sting or pang had been caused
The cold wind twinged Sivan's cheeks as she walked to the bus stop.
transitive: [weather/thing] + twinges + [body part]
Nikhil's unkind words twinged Dewi's conscience and made her wish she had apologised sooner.
transitive: [words/memory] + twinges + [emotion/conscience]
The sight of the old playground twinges Amira with sadness each time she passes it.
Each time William walked past the empty house, a sad memory twinged his heart.
文法句型
[something] + twinges + [someone]
[something] + twinges + [body part]
用法筆記
This transitive sense is mostly found in literary or descriptive writing. In everyday conversation, speakers are more likely to say 'gave [someone] a twinge of...' using the noun form rather than the verb.
2. if a part of your body twinges, you suddenly feel a short sharp pain there
if a part of your body twinges, you suddenly feel a short sharp pain there
Ziad's lower back twinged every time he bent down to pick something off the floor.
intransitive: [body part] + twinges + when-clause
Baraka's ankle twinged sharply when he put weight on it after the long walk.
Jenna's shoulder twinged as she reached for a heavy book on the top shelf.
Manuela's wrist twinged every time she turned the doorknob with her injured hand.
文法句型
[body part] + twinges
[body part] + twinges + when/as...
用法筆記
Subject is always a body part — you cannot say 'I twinged' to mean you felt a sharp pain. Use 'my [body part] twinged' or 'I felt a twinge (in my...).'
常見錯誤
3. to press or pinch someone's skin tightly between the thumb and finger, usually t
to press or pinch someone's skin tightly between the thumb and finger, usually to get their attention or to cause a small sharp pain
Grandma Maeve gently twinged the toddler's cheek and laughed at his surprised face.
old-fashioned sense: twinge + [body part], meaning pinch
Asher twinged his brother's arm under the table to warn him to stop talking.
Zuri twinged her sister's elbow to make her look at the funny cat video.
Eli's grandmother twinged his cheek playfully and told him how much he had grown.
文法句型
twinge + [someone/something]
twinge + [body part]
用法筆記
This sense is now very rare in modern English and may sound old-fashioned or dialectal. Most speakers would use 'pinch' or 'tweak' instead. You may encounter it in older literature or regional speech.