schtick

1 of 2

noun (1)

less common spelling of shtick

1
: a usually comic or repetitious performance or routine : bit
2
: one's special trait, interest, or activity : bag
… he's alive and well and now doing his shtick out in Hollywood.—Robert Daley

shtick

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈshtik How to pronounce shtick (audio)
variants or less commonly schtick or shtik
1
: a usually comic or repetitious performance or routine : bit
2
: one's special trait, interest, or activity : bag
… he's alive and well and now doing his shtick out in Hollywood.—Robert Daley
shticky
ˈshti-kē How to pronounce shtick (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of schtick

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Noun (2)

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Examples of schtick in a Sentence

Noun (2) That joke is part of his shtick. Sports are just not my shtick.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Portnoy’s schtick is to rile up opponents, which often includes taunts. — Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 Basically every college tour on an American campus will include a schtick about how undergraduates can participate in faculty research. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
Without Carmella there as a potential wild card, the ladies arrive in Tokyo and are forced to retreat to their familiar shticks. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026 Nathan Fielder may well have the best deadpan shtick since Buster Keaton. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for schtick

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

Yiddish shtik pranks, literally, piece, from Middle High German stücke, from Old High German stucki; akin to Old English stycce piece, Old High German stoc stick — more at stock entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (2)

1959, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of schtick was in 1959

Rhymes for schtick

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Browse Nearby Words

schrund
schtick
Schubert
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Cite this Entry

“Schtick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schtick. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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