Fidget Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms fidget American [fij-it] / ˈfɪdʒ ɪt /

verb (used without object)

1. to move about restlessly, nervously, or impatiently.

2. to play with something in a restless or nervous way; fiddle.

   The boy kept fidgeting with the toy instead of paying attention.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to fidget; make uneasy: He was fidgeted by a hunch that the girl was going to cause trouble.

noun

1. Often fidgets. the condition or an instance of being nervously restless, uneasy, or impatient.

2. Also fidgeter. a person who fidgets.

fidget British / ˈfɪdʒɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to move about restlessly

2. to make restless or uneasy movements (with something); fiddle

   he fidgeted with his pen

3. (tr) to cause to fidget

4. (tr) to cause to worry; make uneasy

"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

noun

1. (often plural) a state of restlessness or unease, esp as expressed in continual motion

   he's got the fidgets

2. a person who fidgets

"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

• fidgetingly adverb
• fidgety adjective
• unfidgeting adjective

Etymology

Origin of fidget

First recorded in 1665–75; compare dialectal fidge “to fidget,” akin to the synonymous expressive words fitch, fig, fike; compare Old Norse fīkjast “to be eager,” Old Swedish fīkja “to be restless”

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.

Dave fidgeted in his seat and seemed to be waiting for someone to say his name.

From Literature

The white shirt he was wearing had large dark splotches of sweat under his arms, and he fidgeted from foot to foot.

From Literature

Grandpa started fidgeting in his chair like something was biting him.

From Literature

Hernandez came up with a rule: If a child isn’t into the movie, he or she can draw, play with slime or use a fidget toy.

From The Wall Street Journal

She fidgeted and wriggled her bare toes while Mr. Sasaki spoke.

From Literature

Related Words

• fret
• jiggle
• squirm
• twiddle
• twitch

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.