"twerp" meaning in English

See twerp in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /twɝp/ [General-American], /twɜːp/ [Received-Pronunciation] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-twerp.wav Forms: twerps [plural]
Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)p Etymology: Of uncertain origin; originally British slang of the 1910s. In a letter, dated 6 October 1944, J. R. R. Tolkien mentions a contemporary of his at Oxford University T.W. Earp, calling him "the original twerp"; but no corroborating evidence for this etymology has come to light. Other suggestions include: a clipping of Antwerp (“type of racing pigeon that flew between Antwerp and London”); the onomatopoeic twirp (“imitation of the sound of a bird”); a dialectal variant of dwarf (compare Middle English dwerf); Welsh twp (“a fool”). Etymology templates: {{unc|en|nocap=1}} uncertain Head templates: {{en-noun}} twerp (plural twerps), {{tlb|en|colloquial}} (colloquial)
  1. (UK) A fool, a twit. Tags: UK, colloquial Categories (topical): People Synonyms: twit, git Translations (a fool, a twit): глупак (glupak) [masculine] (Bulgarian), дура́к (durák) [masculine] (Russian), тупи́ца (tupíca) [feminine, masculine] (Russian)
    Sense id: en-twerp-en-noun-InZLRv-- Disambiguation of People: 33 40 26 Categories (other): British English Disambiguation of 'a fool, a twit': 89 6 5
  2. (US, childish) A small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible. Tags: US, childish, colloquial Categories (topical): People Synonyms: twerk, worthless person Translations (a small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible): ничто́жество (ničtóžestvo) [neuter] (Russian), krpec [masculine] (Slovak), pendejo [masculine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-twerp-en-noun-FRl08JQa Disambiguation of People: 33 40 26 Categories (other): American English Disambiguation of 'a small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible': 1 92 7
  3. (US, childish) A person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased. Sometimes used as a pet-name (often for a younger sibling). Tags: US, childish, colloquial Categories (topical): People Translations (a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased): ettertje (Dutch), простофи́ля (prostofílja) [feminine, masculine] (Russian), krpec [masculine] (Slovak), pendejo [masculine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-twerp-en-noun-hVbHK2Xe Disambiguation of People: 33 40 26 Categories (other): American English, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Slovak translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 23 27 51 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 16 21 64 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 14 18 68 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 9 14 77 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 20 28 51 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 14 19 67 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 11 15 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Slovak translations: 15 34 51 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 9 13 78 Disambiguation of 'a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased': 2 18 80
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: twirp Related terms: derp, twerk

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

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  "etymology_text": "Of uncertain origin; originally British slang of the 1910s. In a letter, dated 6 October 1944, J. R. R. Tolkien mentions a contemporary of his at Oxford University T.W. Earp, calling him \"the original twerp\"; but no corroborating evidence for this etymology has come to light. Other suggestions include: a clipping of Antwerp (“type of racing pigeon that flew between Antwerp and London”); the onomatopoeic twirp (“imitation of the sound of a bird”); a dialectal variant of dwarf (compare Middle English dwerf); Welsh twp (“a fool”).",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "derp"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "twerk"
    }
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          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
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          "type": "example"
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          "text": "There's many an airman just finishin' his time. There's many a twerp signing on.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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      ],
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      ],
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          "word": "twit"
        },
        {
          "word": "git"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "89 6 5",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "glupak",
          "sense": "a fool, a twit",
          "tags": [
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          ],
          "word": "глупак"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 6 5",
          "code": "ru",
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          "roman": "durák",
          "sense": "a fool, a twit",
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          ],
          "word": "дура́к"
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          "_dis1": "89 6 5",
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          "roman": "tupíca",
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        }
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        {
          "text": "Get out of my way, you little twerp!",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible."
      ],
      "id": "en-twerp-en-noun-FRl08JQa",
      "links": [
        [
          "childish",
          "childish"
        ],
        [
          "puny",
          "puny"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, childish) A small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "twerk"
        },
        {
          "word": "worthless person"
        }
      ],
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 92 7",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "ničtóžestvo",
          "sense": "a small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible",
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            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "ничто́жество"
        },
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          "_dis1": "1 92 7",
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          "code": "es",
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          "sense": "a small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible",
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          "word": "pendejo"
        }
      ]
    },
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      "glosses": [
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      ],
      "id": "en-twerp-en-noun-hVbHK2Xe",
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          "childish",
          "childish"
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          "bullied",
          "bully"
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        "(US, childish) A person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased. Sometimes used as a pet-name (often for a younger sibling)."
      ],
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        "US",
        "childish",
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "2 18 80",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased",
          "word": "ettertje"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 18 80",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "prostofílja",
          "sense": "a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "простофи́ля"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 18 80",
          "code": "sk",
          "lang": "Slovak",
          "sense": "a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "krpec"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 18 80",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "pendejo"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/twɝp/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/twɜːp/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-twerp.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f8/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-twerp.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-twerp.wav.mp3",
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɜː(ɹ)p"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "twirp"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "J. R. R. Tolkien"
  ],
  "word": "twerp"
}
{
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    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
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    "English nouns",
    "English terms with unknown etymologies",
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    "Pages with 1 entry",
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    "Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)p",
    "Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)p/1 syllable",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Slovak translations",
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  "etymology_text": "Of uncertain origin; originally British slang of the 1910s. In a letter, dated 6 October 1944, J. R. R. Tolkien mentions a contemporary of his at Oxford University T.W. Earp, calling him \"the original twerp\"; but no corroborating evidence for this etymology has come to light. Other suggestions include: a clipping of Antwerp (“type of racing pigeon that flew between Antwerp and London”); the onomatopoeic twirp (“imitation of the sound of a bird”); a dialectal variant of dwarf (compare Middle English dwerf); Welsh twp (“a fool”).",
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        "plural"
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      "word": "derp"
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        {
          "text": "Now you've broken it, you twerp!",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1940, Fred Godfrey (lyrics and music), “Bless 'Em All”performed by George Formby:",
          "text": "There's many an airman just finishin' his time. There's many a twerp signing on.",
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      ],
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        "A fool, a twit."
      ],
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        "(UK) A fool, a twit."
      ],
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          "word": "git"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
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        "colloquial"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
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        "English childish terms",
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Get out of my way, you little twerp!",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "childish"
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        [
          "puny",
          "puny"
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        "(US, childish) A small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "twerk"
        },
        {
          "word": "worthless person"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "childish",
        "colloquial"
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    },
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      ],
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        "US",
        "childish",
        "colloquial"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/twɝp/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/twɜːp/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
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      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-twerp.wav",
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɜː(ɹ)p"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "twirp"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "glupak",
      "sense": "a fool, a twit",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "глупак"
    },
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      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "durák",
      "sense": "a fool, a twit",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "дура́к"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "tupíca",
      "sense": "a fool, a twit",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "тупи́ца"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "ničtóžestvo",
      "sense": "a small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "ничто́жество"
    },
    {
      "code": "sk",
      "lang": "Slovak",
      "sense": "a small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "krpec"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "a small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "pendejo"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased",
      "word": "ettertje"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "prostofílja",
      "sense": "a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "простофи́ля"
    },
    {
      "code": "sk",
      "lang": "Slovak",
      "sense": "a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "krpec"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "a person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "pendejo"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "J. R. R. Tolkien"
  ],
  "word": "twerp"
}

Download raw JSONL data for twerp meaning in English (5.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.