tweaker

noun

tweak·​er ˈtwē-kər How to pronounce tweaker (audio)
plural tweakers
1
: one who makes minor adjustments to something (such as electronic equipment) to improve its performance or effectiveness : a person who tweaks something
This set-it-and-forget-it approach may seem inconceivable to tweakers, but this isn't a piece of gear you want to be playing around with on a daily basis.Ron Goldberg, Home Theater, May 1997
2
slang : a person who illicitly uses methamphetamine and especially crystal meth
When he got like this, his neighbors would scream at him and threaten to call the cops, but they were tweakers too.Joseph Wambaugh, Finnegan's Week, 1994
The community, it turned out, was rife with methamphetamine users—"tweakers"—who would load up on the homemade speed and stay up for three days grinding their teeth and taking apart carburetors for fun.Dan McGraw, U.S. News & World Report, 2 Mar. 1998

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tweaker was in 1980

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

Dictionary Entries Near tweaker

Cite this Entry

“Tweaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tweaker. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!