What does tweet mean?
Tweet is a versatile word with both modern digital and older natural meanings. Today, as a noun, it usually denotes a short message posted on a social-networking service; as a verb, it means to publish such a message. The word is often used for announcements, reactions, commentary, and brief updates, and it can appear in expressions referring to a large volume of posts. A less common but established sense refers to the thin, high-pitched call of a small bird, as well as the act of making that call. This older meaning helps explain the word’s vivid use for short, quick communications: a digital message is imagined as something brief and birdlike. Although the digital sense has made tweet familiar in everyday English, the word also occurs in formal writing about birds, sound, language, and social media. Its compact form and multiple senses make it a useful example of how ordinary words acquire new social and technological meanings.
A short message posted on a social-networking service; less commonly, a small bird’s thin, high-pitched call.
"The latest tweet appeared on the screen before the meeting began."
The social-media meaning is dominant today; the bird-call meaning is chiefly literary or descriptive.
To post a short message on a social-networking service; less commonly, to make a thin, high-pitched bird call.
"She tweeted a link to the charity’s latest report."
The digital sense is informal and common in social-media discussion; the bird sense is older and more specialized.
The standard plural of the noun, especially for individual social-networking messages.
"The archive contains thousands of tweets about the event."
A tiny bird call became a global form of expression: tweet is one syllable with a remarkably modern history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of tweet
The original noun and verb are imitative formations for the thin, high-pitched call of a small bird, with English usage dating from the early modern period. In the 2000s, the word was adopted in digital communication for a brief message published on a social-networking platform. This modern sense developed by analogy with the bird’s short, crisp call and rapidly became the dominant meaning in everyday use.
Related word forms
How tweet is actually used
In its social-media sense, tweet is informal and typically refers to a brief public message. The bird-call sense is uncommon in everyday conversation but remains standard in literary, ornithological, and descriptive contexts.
Easily confused with tweet
A tweet is an individual message, whereas a tweeter is a person or account that posts messages.