tweak

1 of 2

verb

tweaked; tweaking; tweaks

transitive verb

1
: to make usually small adjustments in or to
tweak the controls
especially : fine-tune
2
: to injure slightly
3
: to pinch (a person or a body part) lightly or playfully
4
: to pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist : twitch
tweaked a bud from the stem
5
a
: annoy, bother
tweaking the establishment
b
: to criticize especially in a sly or sharp manner
c
: to poke fun at

intransitive verb

1
: pull, pluck
2
: to make small adjustments

tweak

2 of 2

noun

plural tweaks
1
: a small change or adjustment
We made a few tweaks to the original recipe.
Jellyfish collects information about what's happening behind the scenes and rushes it to its corporate clients so they can make investments based on things like forthcoming regulations or tax code tweaks.Tim Murphy
They'd try making helpful tweaks to the way my chair faced the computer …Lucette Lagnado
2
: a sharp pinch or jerk
a tweak of the nose
Archie laughed, and Rose, seeing a merry blue eye winking at her from behind two brown hands, gave Charlie's ear a friendly tweakLouisa May Alcott
3
: a slight injury causing pain
… it's worth remembering that Pryor is a more dangerous runner than passer, so even a slight tweak of the leg or ankle could be a significant blow to the offense at State College.Bob Hunter

Examples of tweak in a Sentence

Verb We just wanted to tweak his original idea a bit. He tweaked his ankle playing soccer. My brother hates it when our grandmother tweaks his cheek.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Finch had several options to consider when tweaking the starting lineup, including starting Naz Reid for Randle or putting Nickeil Alexander-Walker, arguably the team’s most consistent player this season, in for Conley at point guard or McDaniels at small forward. Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025 This allows for a large degree of flexibility to do things in software, whether that's changing the handling, tweaking the UI, or boosting power output. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
The result is a fund that closely mirrors its benchmark in terms of overall composition, but with slight tweaks aimed at generating excess returns. Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2025 Read more about that tweak and other possible butt-wink fixes here. Christa Sgobba, SELF, 7 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for tweak 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably alteration of Middle English twikken to pull sharply, from Old English twiccian to pluck — more at twitch entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1601, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tweak was in 1601

Dictionary Entries Near tweak

Cite this Entry

“Tweak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tweak. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

tweak

verb
1
: to pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist
2
: to make small adjustments in or to
tweak the controls
3
: to injure slightly
tweak noun

More from Merriam-Webster on tweak

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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