noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈɡlɪt͡ʃ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪtʃ
CMU ARPABET:G L IH1 CH
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A problem affecting function.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Examples
They are still trying to work out all the glitches.
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A bug or an exploit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: video-games
Examples
Performing this glitch gives you extra lives.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A genre of experimental electronic music since the 1990s, characterized by a deliberate use of sonic artifacts that would normally be viewed as unwanted noise.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: electronic music
5
noun
Meaning 5
A sudden increase in the rotational frequency of a pulsar.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To experience an unexpected, typically intermittent malfunction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: especially, intransitive
Examples
My computer keeps glitching; every couple of hours it just reboots without warning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
To perform an exploit or recreate a bug while playing a video game.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Topics: video-games
Examples
His character will glitch into the wall and out of the level.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
a fault or defect in a computer program, system, or machine
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bug
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: defect, fault, flaw
History
Etymology
Probably borrowed from Yiddish גליטש (glitsh), from German glitschig (“slippy”), from glitschen (“to slide, glide, slip”) + -ig (“-y”). Related to gleiten (“glide”). Cognate with French glisser (“to slip, slide, skid”). Popularized in the 1960s, by the US space program. Attested in 1962 by American astronaut John Glenn, in reference to spikes in electrical current.
Across languages
Translations
57 source translations are retained for this English entry.
