noun

twig

twihg

noun

A small, thin branch growing off a larger branch of a tree or bush.

"She snapped a dry twig underfoot while walking through the woods."

"Birds gathered twigs to build their nest."

verb

(informal) To suddenly understand or realize something.

"It took him a while, but he finally twigged what she meant."

"I twigged that something was wrong when the lights went out."

How to Use Twig

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA small branch — or, informally, to suddenly catch on to something.

When to use it

The "realize" sense is mainly British and informal.

Common pairings

snap a twig twig and branch finally twigged

Word Forms

twigged past tense, twigged past tense, twigged past tense, twigs plural, twigs singular, twigs singular, twigs singular

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She snapped a dry _____ underfoot while walking through the woods.

Etymology

From Old English twigge, related to German Zweig ("branch"), ultimately going back to the same ancient root as the number "two," since a twig branches off in a fork.

Synonyms

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tillow get it notice

Related Words

see attention identify notice neglect

Rhymes for twig

wig swig earwig Ludwig bigwig Hedwig

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tillow get it notice see attention identify neglect