glitch

noun

1
a
: a usually minor malfunction
a glitch in a spacecraft's fuel cell
b
: a minor problem that causes a temporary setback : snag
2
: a false or spurious electronic signal
glitchy
ˈgli-chē
adjective

Did you know?

There's a glitch in the etymology of glitch—it may come from the Yiddish glitsh, meaning "slippery place," but that's not certain. Print use of glitch referring to a brief unexpected surge of electrical current dates to the mid-20th century. Astronaut John Glenn, in his 1962 book Into Orbit, felt the need to explain the term to his readers: "Literally, a glitch is a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit which takes place when the circuit suddenly has a new load put on it." Today, the word can be used of any minor malfunction or snag. If you’re a gamer you might even take advantage of a glitch that causes something unexpected, and sometimes beneficial, to happen in the game.

Examples of glitch in a Sentence

Glitches in the speaker's schedule caused some delays. A technical glitch caused a temporary shutdown.
Recent Examples on the Web Across the universe Since November, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has been experiencing a bit of a communication glitch that causes one of its computers to send a signal but no usable data back to the mission team on Earth. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 The only drawback was clunky, inconsistent brake feel early in my drive — a glitch related to cold brakes that Lincoln engineers are working on. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024 In February, Walmart suffered an internal computer glitch that prevented thousands of its locations from being able to take payments, and forcing six of its locations to cut operations altogether. Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 The bank itself said that faulty software from one of Swisscom AG’s contractors caused the glitch. Bastian Benrath, Fortune Europe, 27 Feb. 2024 That delay and numerous computer glitches have resulted in a steep drop in the number of submissions — by about half as of late January. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024 Smooth start after glitch at Tanglewood Voting got off to a smooth start at Tanglewood Elementary School after a small issue with signing voters in turned a couple Republican voters away. Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2024 There’s a ticketing glitch, and passengers have to buy new tickets to get to their cruise or to get home. Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 General Motors is recalling almost 820,000 pickup trucks because of a glitch that could cause the tailgate to open unexpectedly. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glitch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from Yiddish glitsh slippery place, from glitshn (zikh) to slide, glide; akin to Old High German glītan to glide — more at glide

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of glitch was in 1958

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Dictionary Entries Near glitch

Cite this Entry

“Glitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glitch. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

glitch

noun
: an unexpected usually minor problem
glitches in a new computer program
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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