Tourette syndrome

British

/ tʊəˈrɛt /

noun

Also called: Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Tourette's syndrome. Tourette's. a brain disorder characterized by involuntary outbursts of swearing, spitting, barking, etc, and sudden involuntary movements

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Tourette syndrome

C20: named after Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1857–1904), French neurologist

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, he said it had been "a very difficult week", adding: "Whilst I will never apologies for having Tourette syndrome, I will apologise for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create."

From BBC

Accompanying that rage was a fresh explosion of ignorance about Tourette syndrome, the condition that caused Davidson to tic involuntarily throughout last Sunday’s ceremony.

From Salon

“That’s not how coprolalia works. That is not how Tourette syndrome works.”

From Salon

"I cried because everyone else in the cinema that had Tourette's felt able to tic and felt they weren't annoying anyone, and that nobody was going to complain about it because everyone was there to watch a film about a guy with Tourette syndrome," he said.

From BBC

The slur was involuntarily blurted by John Davidson, whose life experience dealing with Tourette syndrome inspired the film “I Swear.”

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023