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twig

1 American  
[twig] / twɪg /

noun

  1. a slender shoot of a tree or other plant.

  2. a small offshoot from a branch or stem.

  3. a small, dry, woody piece fallen from a branch.

    a fire of twigs.

  4. Anatomy. one of the minute branches of a blood vessel or nerve.

twig 2 American  
[twig] / twɪg /

verb (used with object)

twigged, twigging

  1. to look at; observe.

    Now, twig the man climbing there, will you?

  2. to see; perceive.

    Do you twig the difference in colors?

  3. to understand.

verb (used without object)

twigged, twigging

  1. to understand.

twig 3 American  
[twig] / twɪg /

noun

British Archaic.

  1. style; fashion.

twig 1 British  
/ twɪɡ /

verb

  1. to understand (something)

  2. to find out or suddenly comprehend (something)

    he hasn't twigged yet

  3. rare (tr) to perceive (something)

"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
twig 2 British  
/ twɪɡ /

noun

  1. any small branch or shoot of a tree or other woody plant

  2. something resembling this, esp a minute branch of a blood vessel

"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

Other Word Forms

  • twigless adjective
  • twiglike adjective

Etymology

Origin of twig1

First recorded before 950; Middle English twig, twig(g)e; Old English twig, twigge, twī originally “(something) divided in two”; akin to Old High German zwīg ( German Zweig ), Dutch twijg; compare Sanskrit dvikás “double”; twi- ( def. )

Origin of twig2

First recorded in 1760–70; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Irish tuigim “I understand”

Origin of twig3

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

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.

The sound of a twig snapping made me jump and I spun to face Regan as she jogged out of the darkness.

From Literature

Over on my left a twig snapped and there was a padding of soft feet.

From Literature

Just as I was about to turn back, a twig snapped and Red appeared, her cheeks and nose rosy with cold and her breath raspy from running.

From Literature

I’m so curious with the twig and the hair and the blood and the bell — Is that a thing?

From Los Angeles Times

But as he stepped forward, a twig snapped under the toe of his boot.

From Literature

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.