as in dwarf
a person of no importance or influence
in high school he was just a little twerp, and now he's a big Internet entrepreneur
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Recent Examples of twerp
Most of the movie is a vaguely comical swipe at Napoleon in domestic life—an awkward lover, a jealous husband, an inveterate complainer, and in sum an annoying twerp.
—
Kyle Smith, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Kind of a little twerp, now and again.
—Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2022
What a little twerp!
—Tolly Wright, Vulture, 2 June 2021
His Abigail is a perfect twerp, the peevish flipside to Pitt's Most Interesting Man in the World shtick.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022
When Briggs leaves Lulu in a (cool, safe) car at night, an animal-rights twerp seeks to break a window with a rock to let in some air, until Briggs advises him why this would be a bad idea.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 18 Feb. 2022
That’s the mystery and the magnetism of what the actor’s doing, and without it this Henry would merely be a Lancastrian twerp.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Oct. 2019
To that end, its supporting characters are vivid: One step above Travis in the FAM hierarchy is Cody (Théodore Pellerin), a type-A twerp with a masochistic streak.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 Aug. 2019
The fear is that kids who habitually order Amazon's Alexa to read them a story or command Google's Assistant to tell them a joke are learning to communicate not as polite, considerate citizens, but as demanding little twerps.
—Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, 11 May 2018
Kyle Smith, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Kind of a little twerp, now and again.
—Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2022
What a little twerp!
—Tolly Wright, Vulture, 2 June 2021
His Abigail is a perfect twerp, the peevish flipside to Pitt's Most Interesting Man in the World shtick.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022
When Briggs leaves Lulu in a (cool, safe) car at night, an animal-rights twerp seeks to break a window with a rock to let in some air, until Briggs advises him why this would be a bad idea.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 18 Feb. 2022
That’s the mystery and the magnetism of what the actor’s doing, and without it this Henry would merely be a Lancastrian twerp.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Oct. 2019
To that end, its supporting characters are vivid: One step above Travis in the FAM hierarchy is Cody (Théodore Pellerin), a type-A twerp with a masochistic streak.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 Aug. 2019
The fear is that kids who habitually order Amazon's Alexa to read them a story or command Google's Assistant to tell them a joke are learning to communicate not as polite, considerate citizens, but as demanding little twerps.
—Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, 11 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twerp
Noun
-
Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.—
Robert Higgs,
cleveland,
1 Feb. 2023
-
The dwarf variety grows to be about 5 to 7 feet, ideal for a small garden or accent in a room with limited space.—
Bryce Jones,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Jan. 2023
Noun
-
While some men are jumping on board, the most popular of these creators—which range from nobodies doing voiceovers to far-right provocateurs like Candance Owens and Megyn Kelly—are women speaking to other women.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Those free passes were a frequent abuse of the law in the past, and low-profile corporate nobodies got away with them for years.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Since his first appearance in season one, though, Greg has been more than a bit of a cipher.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
10 Mar. 2025
-
All the actors make assertive impressions that can nonetheless only go so far in delineating figures who remain basically ciphers.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Those stems will be hidden by this year's blooms and remain as a possible home for bees and other helpful insects, which will emerge as temperatures rise.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
11 Mar. 2025
-
What has spending years with insects on her mind meant to Harper?—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
On coverage and finish, this tint feels more like a serum—imparting a lightweight, dewy finish across its 26 shades.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Where Trudeau has always been seen as a charismatic lightweight, Carney is a nose-to-the-grindstone type.—
Stephen Maher,
TIME,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Pour the sauce over and gently toss with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the shrimp and avocado are thoroughly coated.—
Janelle Davis,
CNN,
7 Feb. 2023
-
Brine shrimp are a critical food source for the aquaculture industry.—
Evan Bush,
NBC News,
21 Jan. 2023
Noun
-
Now please don’t get the whippersnappers in the GTW offices wrong.—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Like his character, his powers haven’t dimmed with age, whatever the whippersnappers might think, and if both have made a few bad decisions in a long career, not even Superman is perfect anymore.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Twerp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twerp. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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