as in tricks
an odd or peculiar habit
constantly playing with her hair is one of her more annoying tics
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Recent Examples of tics
His tics are not naughty mischief, but an uncontrollable action.
—
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition that may cause involuntary movements and vocal tics, sometimes involving outbursts of inappropriate language, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Mason Leib, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
During the first 30 minutes of the show, Davidson repeatedly issued loud, involuntary vocal tics that were clear to those in the audience and on clips later circulated on social media.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
Brooks is still wont to assume that social crises are a function of our personal habits, not economic or political injustice, and his methodological tics are the same as ever.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Once Ida is revived, Buckley is rife with tics and guttural asides, switching between rat-a-tat mobster slang and Shelley’s flowery English prose like some postmodern literary Gollum.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
In the mid-2010s, Young Thug borrowed from Future’s melodic blueprint, only for Future to co-opt Thug’s avant-garde vocal tics to get even weirder in his own right.
—Serge Selenou, Pitchfork, 3 Mar. 2026
Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show, however the BBC failed to censor the N-word during its broadcast, causing further harm.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
Davidson has coprolalia, where one’s involuntary tics are offensive and inappropriate.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition that may cause involuntary movements and vocal tics, sometimes involving outbursts of inappropriate language, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Mason Leib, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
During the first 30 minutes of the show, Davidson repeatedly issued loud, involuntary vocal tics that were clear to those in the audience and on clips later circulated on social media.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
Brooks is still wont to assume that social crises are a function of our personal habits, not economic or political injustice, and his methodological tics are the same as ever.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Once Ida is revived, Buckley is rife with tics and guttural asides, switching between rat-a-tat mobster slang and Shelley’s flowery English prose like some postmodern literary Gollum.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
In the mid-2010s, Young Thug borrowed from Future’s melodic blueprint, only for Future to co-opt Thug’s avant-garde vocal tics to get even weirder in his own right.
—Serge Selenou, Pitchfork, 3 Mar. 2026
Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show, however the BBC failed to censor the N-word during its broadcast, causing further harm.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
Davidson has coprolalia, where one’s involuntary tics are offensive and inappropriate.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tics
Noun
-
Davis occasionally destabilizes this very familiar soundtrack with sly production tricks from Horne.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
However, deer are adaptable creatures and often get used to the tricks put in their path, eventually ignoring attempts to deter them, Walke says.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Meta staffers could potentially converse with and get feedback from the virtual double trained on his mannerisms, tone, public statements, and sentiments about the company’s strategy.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Jaafar effortlessly channels his uncle’s speaking voice, dance moves, mannerisms, and childlike wonder.—
Keith Murphy,
VIBE.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 6-3, 318-pound Hunter has good length (33 1/4-inch arms) but lacks explosive traits, as evidenced by his 21 1/2-inch vertical jump and 8-foot, four-inch broad jump.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Each has versatility and traits the Broncos like.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This is an older home, and some of its charms come with quirks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
-
One of his quirks is collecting cologne.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Researchers evaluated and recorded the same 28 characteristics for each species based on preexisting data from universities and government agencies, Nunez-Mir said.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Clean-up operations involve experts who calculate the risk of a criticality accident based on the characteristics of the material being moved, Rofer says.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Write down your thoughts, and then build habits to make this personal constitution come alive.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Your daily routine, work environment or even your mental habits could feel slightly off today.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The curators will swap things in and out as they get used to the eccentricities of the new building.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Her Catherine is less defined by the quirky, appealing eccentricities of Mary-Louise Parker’s performance in the original 2000 Broadway staging, but is girded by a certain angry resignation, fearful of what life might have in store, furious too, yet seething with a will to defy it all.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
First there was Lil Baby and Gunna, turning his melodies into a radio rap format by ditching the idiosyncrasies.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Most of the videos are gentle teasing about the idiosyncrasies of working at a bar or retreads of other viral videos.—
Lauren Chapman,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tics. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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