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
-
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
-
The owner, knowing that his establishment is at capacity and taking into consideration the troublesome nobodies who are seeking entry, brusquely sends them away.—
Andy Biggs,
Newsweek,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Atom and Claudette with recognizable humanity, the film’s artistry turns them into ciphers and symbols of the numbing effects of ethnic conflict.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Lively’s Lily Bloom is a cipher for the millennial woman resisting the pull of becoming her boomer mother.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
But some of their most common prey items include minnows, crayfish, insects, and amphibians.—
Derek Horner,
Outdoor Life,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Scientists have found that fungi, algae, pollen, lichens, insects, bacteria and viruses are especially good at encouraging water to freeze.—
Carl Zimmer,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Also, Holloway is making his permanent move to lightweight, and this rematch could be a surprise hit for the UFC.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Most base layers will be in the 160-grams-per-square-meter (lightweight) to 260-gsm range (heavyweight or expedition weight).—
Scott Gilbertson,
WIRED,
22 Feb. 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
-
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
-
Chalamet is just 29 — a whippersnapper in AARP terms.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Twerp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twerp. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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