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Entry 4 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913

Twitch

/twĭch/ · IPA /twɪt͡ʃ/
01 v. t. To pull with a sudden jerk; to pluck with a short, quick motion; to snatch; as, to twitch one by the sleeve; to twitch a thing out of anoth…
imp. & p. p. Twitched; p. pr. & vb. n. Twitching
  1. 1.
    To pull with a sudden jerk; to pluck with a short, quick motion; to snatch; as, to twitch one by the sleeve; to twitch a thing out of another's hand; to twitch off clusters of grapes.
    “Thrice they twitched the diamond in her ear.” — Pope.
02 n. The act of twitching; a pull with a jerk; a short, sudden, quick pull; as, a twitch by the sleeve.
  1. 1.
    The act of twitching; a pull with a jerk; a short, sudden, quick pull; as, a twitch by the sleeve.
  2. 2.
    A short, spastic contraction of the fibers or muscles; a simple muscular contraction; as, convulsive twitches; a twitch in the side.
  3. 3.
    A stick with a hole in one end through which passes a loop, which can be drawn tightly over the upper lip or an ear of a horse. By twisting the stick the compression is made sufficiently painful to keep the animal quiet during a slight surgical operation.(Far.)