as in to fidget
to make jerky or restless movements
the baby wiggled in her sleep
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Recent Examples of wiggle
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
These air-breathing fish can live outside a body of water for several days and are able to wiggle from one freshwater habitat to another, according to the FWS.
—Peter Burke, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025
Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
If a detector shows a star wiggling back and forth, and if these wiggles occur with regularity, the signal is a good indication that there is a planet in orbit, tugging on its host.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2011
See All Example Sentences for wiggle
Verb
Still, Matt still tries to wiggle out of the responsibility.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
These air-breathing fish can live outside a body of water for several days and are able to wiggle from one freshwater habitat to another, according to the FWS.
—Peter Burke, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
Alana Kaplan, the head judge and moderator, asked the kids to make a funny face to get their wiggles out.
—Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
If a detector shows a star wiggling back and forth, and if these wiggles occur with regularity, the signal is a good indication that there is a planet in orbit, tugging on its host.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2011
See All Example Sentences for wiggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggle
Verb
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Sitting with his defense team in Judge Arun Subramanian’s lower Manhattan courtroom, a steely eyed and fidgeting Combs Friday morning listened as the ‘Me & U’ singer resumed her testimony under questioning from attorney Anna Estevao.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
16 May 2025
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Spieth, fidgeting a bit in his seat Tuesday, looked around for the first question.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Each of 75 winners will get 12 months of deals including free meals, breakfast items and shakes – about $480 worth of deals.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
27 May 2025
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Some very Southern sounding shakes are also on the menu.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
22 May 2025
Verb
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An input lag of 4.6 milliseconds in the TV's dedicated Game mode is speedy enough for twitch reflexes, and the panel refreshes at 120Hz and supports variable refresh rates.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
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The sight of his twitching arm, middle finger raised, is a fun touch to an otherwise-underwhelming send-off.—
Gayle Sequeira,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
Verb
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But Carney squirmed a bit as Trump riffed on his contentious plan for the U.S. to gobble up Canada.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2025
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The cardinals are sworn to secrecy, though a few details have inevitably squirmed outside through the chapel walls over the years.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Ryan Coogler’s blues vampire thriller Sinners (in its second week of wide release), Ben Affleck’s middling mid-budget action flick The Accountant 2, a reissue of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, and the chicken-jockey juggernaut A Minecraft Movie in its fourth weekend in theaters.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
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There are two scenes in Highest 2 Lowest that feel like Lee is having fun while leaving his mark on his homage to a landmark crime flick.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Grapevine blanks Lubbock-Cooper for series lead Grapevine pitcher Luke Esquivel tossed a gem in Game 1 as the Mustangs shut out Lubbock-Cooper 4-0 in a Class 5A Division II regional final on Friday, May 23, at Brownwood High School.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 May 2025
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Some, like outfielder Ty Jackson and catcher Bill Leroy, were playing football with kids, while Andy Archer was seen tossing a baseball around with kids who brought gloves.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
24 May 2025
Noun
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As part of Gabriel’s solution to showing Ansari’s character that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the Hollywood, the well-meaning angel body-swaps him with an uber-rich jerk, played by Seth Rogen.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2025
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The left horse just wanted to shamble along, while the right horse pulled with frantic jerks.—
Louise Erdrich,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
Verb
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The Essence line, for example, debuts twisted and rippled silhouettes that are inspired by the ocean and waves.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
22 May 2025
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Of particular note in this segment is the tattoo itself: twisting vines leading to an image of a moth, just like the one Joel engraved into her guitar.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wiggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggle. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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