jitter

1 of 2

noun

jit·​ter ˈji-tər 

1

jitters ˈji-tərz  plural : a sense of panic or extreme nervousness

had a bad case of the jitters before his performance

2

: the state of mind or the movement of one that jitters

3

: irregular random movement (as of a pointer or an image on a television screen)

also : vibratory motion

jitter

2 of 2

verb

jittered; jittering; jitters

intransitive verb

1

: to make continuous fast repetitive movements

2

: to be nervous or act in a nervous way

Synonyms

Noun

• butterflies
• dither
• heebie-jeebies
• jimjams
• nerves
• screaming meemies
• shakes
• shivers
• whim-whams
• willies

Examples of jitter in a Sentence

Noun

always got the jitters right before a test

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Uncertainty over election results, which may take days to finalize, added to market jitters, while hopes for a rate cut from the Fed provided a counterbalance. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Already, electoral jitters and expectations of further interest rate cuts from the U.S. Federal Reserve have steered investors to retreat to gold, which rallied to a fresh record on Wednesday. —Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

This means polling averages can change by a few decimal places day to day — and probabilities may jitter by around a point, which cascades down into uncertainty in our model. —G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 11 June 2024

The screen jitters each time righteous bloodshed crosses Deva’s mind. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 22 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 2