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wit
1[wit]
noun
the keen perception and cleverly apt expression of those connections between ideas that awaken amusement and pleasure.
Synonyms:speech or writing showing such perception and expression.
Synonyms: , , , , , , ,a person having or noted for such perception and expression.
Synonyms: , ,understanding, intelligence, or sagacity.
Synonyms: , ,Usually wits
powers of intelligent observation, keen perception, ingenious contrivance, or the like; mental acuity, composure, and resourcefulness.
using one's wits to get ahead.
mental faculties; senses.
to lose one's wits;
frightened out of one's wits.
wit
2[wit]
verb (used with or without object)
present-singular-1st-person
wot ,second-person
wost ,third-person
wot ,present-plural
wit, wite ,past-and-past-participle
wist ,present-participle
witting .Archaic.to know.
wit
1/ ɪ /
noun
the talent or quality of using unexpected associations between contrasting or disparate words or ideas to make a clever humorous effect
speech or writing showing this quality
a person possessing, showing, or noted for such an ability, esp in repartee
practical intelligence (esp in the phrase have the wit to )
dialectinformation or knowledge (esp in the phrase get wit of )
archaicmental capacity or a person possessing it
obsoletethe mind or memory
wit
2/ ɪ /
verb
archaicto be or become aware of (something)
adverb
that is to say; namely (used to introduce statements, as in legal documents)
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of wit1
Origin of wit2
Idioms and Phrases
at one's wit's end. at the end of one's ideas or mental resources; perplexed.
My two-year-old won't eat anything but pizza, and I'm at my wit's end.
keep / have one's wits about one, to remain alert and observant; be prepared for or equal to anything.
to keep your wits about you in a crisis.
live by one's wits, to provide for oneself by employing ingenuity or cunning; live precariously.
We traveled around the world, living by our wits.
to wit, that is to say; namely.
It was the time of the vernal equinox, to wit, the beginning of spring.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Her lovingly sly Haydn-esque wit came out in the premiere of “Nest Box,” a duo for her and Wu Wei on sheng, the Chinese mouth organ.
Elizabeth and Letitia, from Worthing and Lancing respectively, have been pitting their wits against four other teams as they aim to travel from China to India without smart phones or credit cards.
But he can also surprise with sudden, mischievous wit.
"She had the most amazing quick wit and sense of humour," Mrs Figueiredo said.
A GP who wrote a scathing letter to Northern Ireland's health minister accusing him of "complete disrespect" for general practice has said those working in the sector are at their "wits' end".
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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