fidget

fidget — verb

1. to keep moving parts of your body in small, restless ways, often without thinkin

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to keep moving parts of your body in small, restless ways, often without thinking, especially when you feel anxious, bored, or uneasy and need to remain still

Example

Lan fidgeted in her seat during the three-hour exam.

fidget + in [seat] — location of the movement

Ziad nervously fidgeted with the strap of his backpack while waiting for the interview.

fidget with [object] — specifying what is handled

Common collocations
  • fidget nervously
  • fidget in your seat
  • fidget with your hands
  • fidget restlessly
  • fidget with a pen
Synonyms
  • fiddle

    more specific to handling small objects with the fingers; 'fiddle with a necklace'

  • squirm

    suggests the whole body twisting or writhing, often from discomfort or embarrassment

  • twitch

    a sudden, sharp, involuntary movement of a muscle or body part, not necessarily repeated

  • wriggle

    small twisting movements of the body, often used for children or animals

Antonyms
  • sit still

    the opposite action — remaining motionless

Grammar Patterns

fidget + adverb/preposition

fidget with + noun

Usage Note

Often used with 'with' when specifying what the person is handling, e.g., 'fidget with a pen'. Also common with location adverbs: 'fidget in one's seat', 'fidget on the chair'.

Common Mistakes

He fidgeted his fingers on the table.
He fidgeted with his fingers on the table.
'fidget' is intransitive; add 'with' before the object being moved or handled.

fidget — noun

Word family

  • fidgety
    adjectiveB2
  • fidgeting
    nounB2
  • fidgeter
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe small, restless body movements, but they differ in what part of the body moves and why. 'Fidget' is the broadest term — it covers any small, repeated motion of the hands, feet, or whole body, usually from boredom or nervousness. 'Fiddle' focuses on the hands handling an object, like twisting a ring or tapping a pencil; it implies a more specific, object-focused action. 'Squirm' suggests the whole body twisting or shifting, often from physical discomfort, embarrassment, or shame. 'Twitch' is a sudden, sharp, involuntary jerk of a muscle or body part, and can have a medical cause. 'Wriggle' describes small twisting motions, often of a child or animal trying to free itself or get comfortable. For a general sense of nervous or bored movement, use 'fidget'. If someone is handling an object restlessly, 'fiddling' is more precise. Example: 'During the long meeting, Paul fidgeted in his chair, fiddled with his watch, and squirmed when the boss asked him a difficult question.'

fidget ↗fiddle ↗squirmtwitchwriggle

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • get the fidgets
  • have a case of the fidgets
  • fidget spinner
  • in a fidget

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishModern English

The verb 'fidget' comes from the earlier verb 'fidge' (meaning 'to move restlessly'), which appeared in English around the 1500s, combined with the frequentative suffix '-et' (indicating repeated action). 'Fidge' itself probably comes from Old Norse 'fikja' (to move about quickly). The sense of a restless person appeared in the mid-1700s, and the modern meaning of a physical toy dates to the early 2000s with the rise of fidget spinners and cubes.