tweak

Meaning

Verb

1. (transitive) To pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist; to twitch.
2. (informal, transitive) To adjust slightly; to fine-tune.
3. (transitive) To tease, to annoy; to get under the skin of (someone, typically so as to irritate them, or by extension to enamor, frighten, etc).
4. (US, intransitive, slang) To abuse methamphetamines, especially crystal meth.
5. (US, intransitive, slang) To exhibit extreme nervousness, evasiveness when confronted by authorities, compulsiveness, erratic motion, excitability, etc, due to or mimicking the symptoms of methamphetamine abuse.
6. (broadly, intransitive, slang) To be extremely confused; to have no clue what is happening.
7. (uncommon) From a catapult, to strike a target with a missile.

Noun

1. A sharp pinch or jerk; a twist or twitch.
2. A slight adjustment or modification.
3. Trouble; distress; tweag.
4. (obsolete, slang) A prostitute.
5. (slang) Methamphetamine.
6. (slang) A single inhalation of cocaine.
7. An additional input to a block cipher, used in conjunction with the key to select the permutation computed by the cipher.

Synonyms

pinch

nip

pluck

twist

bite

pick off

pull off

fine-tune

hack

ice

🧊

key

🔑

nab

nibble

nick

nudge

peck

pitch

prime

roll

set

shave

sound off

speed

squeezing

sting

tune

tune in

tune up

turn

twiddle

twinge

twirl

twitch

wrench

🔧

wriggle

wring

writhe

yank

hop up

hot up

methamphetamine

soup up

strike up

Tina

meth

attune

cock

crystal

energise

energize

Translations

çimdik

zwicken

cimdiklemek

arrencar

plomar

pessic

trenar

frisieren

Retusche

Methamphetamin

στρίβω

τσιμπιά

τσιμπώ

τσιμπώ δυνατά

pelar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/twiːk/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: twikken

Inherited from Old English: twiccian

In summary

From Middle English twikken, from Old English twiccian (“to pluck”), from Proto-West Germanic *twekkōn (“to fasten; clamp; pinch”). Related to twitch. The drug-related sense may be a blend of twitch and freak.