What does "twitter" mean?
The sound of a succession of chirps as uttered by birds.
/ˈtwɪtə/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The sound of a succession of chirps as uttered by birds.
- Grammar: twitter is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: chirrup, ado, agitation, anthem.
- Useful contrasts: delete, offline platform, print media.
- Usage evidence: I deactivated my Twitter account yesterday.
How to use "twitter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "twitter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "twitter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "twitter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "twitter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "twitter" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chirrup" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "twitter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The sound of a succession of chirps as uttered by birds. uncountable
"I often listen to the twitter of the birds in the park."
- 2 A knot or other defect in a thread or yarn which hinders spinning or weaving; a twit. Northern-England, Scotland, archaic
- 3 A user account on Twitter. Internet, informal
"I've lost the password to my Twitter."
- 4 a series of chirps wordnet
- 5 Unwanted flicker that occurs in interlaced displays when the image contains vertical detail that approaches the horizontal resolution of the video format. uncountable
"Interline twitter occurs on interlaced displays at half the field-rate."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A feed on Twitter. Internet, informal
- 7 A social media messaging service limited to 140 characters wordnet
- 8 A tremulous broken sound. countable
- 9 A community on Twitter. Internet, in-compounds, informal, usually
"There were, of course, many Twitters existing in parallel: Politics Twitter, Sports Twitter, Black Twitter, Weird Twitter. But Twitter and TV went together like extreme weather and marine predators."
- 10 A slight trembling of the nerves. countable
- 11 Chiefly in the form in a twitter: a state of excitement or nervousness; a twit. British, countable, informal, regional
Verb
- 1 To utter a succession of chirps. intransitive
"The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn, / The swallow twittering from the straw-built shed,"
- 2 To tweet; to post an update to Twitter. Internet, ambitransitive, proscribed, sometimes
"Stars can’t stop Twittering at Oscars, parties"
- 3 make high-pitched sounds, as of birds wordnet
- 4 (of a person) To talk in an excited or nervous manner. intransitive, transitive
- 5 To make the sound of a half-suppressed laugh; to titter; to giggle.
"Oh, the young handsom wenches, how they twitter'd, / When they but saw me shake my ware, and sing too!"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To have a slight trembling of the nerves; to be excited or agitated.
- 7 To twit; to reproach or upbraid. obsolete, transitive
"I have repented of it many’s the good time and oft. And if he was so good to forgive me a word spoken in haste or so, it doth not become such a one as you to twitter me. He was a husband to me, he was; and if ever I did make use of an ill word or so in a passion, I never called him rascal […]"
- 8 Alternative form of Twitter. alt-of, alternative
"In addition to listing specific earmarks he finds the most reprehensible, McCain said he has been twittering the “top ten” most egregious"
Proper Noun
- 1 An online social networking and microblogging service; officially known as X since 2023.
"There were, of course, many Twitters existing in parallel: Politics Twitter, Sports Twitter, Black Twitter, Weird Twitter. But Twitter and TV went together like extreme weather and marine predators."
Example
"I deactivated my Twitter account yesterday."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "twitter"?
Common synonyms include: chirrup, ado, agitation, anthem, babble, ballad.
How do you use "twitter" in a sentence?
I deactivated my Twitter account yesterday.
How do you pronounce "twitter"?
Pronounced /ˈtwɪtə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English twitren, twiteren, from Old English *twiterian, from Proto-West Germanic *twitwiʀōn, from Proto-Germanic *twitwizōną (“to chirp; twitter”). Cognate with Low German twitteren (“to twitter”), German zwitzern, zwitschern (“to twitter”). Compare also Dutch kwetteren (“to twitter”), Danish kvidre (“to twitter”), Swedish kvittra (“to twitter”), dialectal Swedish tittra (“to twitter”).
Etymology 2
Origin unknown; possibly related to twine, twist, and twirl.
Etymology 3
From twitter (“to utter a succession of chirps”).