verb
tourette
verb
1
To display the sudden, involuntary tics — movements or sounds — associated with Tourette syndrome.
"He tourettes a bit when he's stressed, letting out a sharp bark of a sound."
"The character in the film tourettes uncontrollably during tense scenes."
How to Use Tourette
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsed casually as a verb to describe having a sudden tic or blurting something out involuntarily, the way someone with Tourette syndrome might.
When to use it
Informal, and can come across as insensitive — it trivializes a real neurological condition, so it is best avoided in careful or medical writing.
Word Forms
touretted past tense, tourettes singular
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He _____ a bit when he's stressed, letting out a sharp bark of a sound.
Etymology
Verbed from the name of the French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who first described the syndrome in 1885.