squirm

verb

squirmed; squirming; squirms

intransitive verb

: to twist about like a worm : fidget
squirm noun
squirmy adjective

Examples of squirm in a Sentence

The baby squirmed a lot when I tried to hold him. She squirmed under her father's angry stare. The children squirmed with delight. He tried to hold onto her but she squirmed free. The frog squirmed out of his hands. The gory details of the story had me squirming in my seat.
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.
In a horror movie, the sight of a leg being broken and the bone sticking out might be squirm-inducing but not out of bonds. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025 Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing. James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025 But the Rockies, as is their wont, made the Padres squirm, belting 14 hits, including a solo home run by Mickey Moniak in the ninth off Robert Suarez. Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025 Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan stage and shoot said home invasion like a Jacques Tati sequence — that is to say, from an amused, ironic distance that watches humans squirm and scramble without intervention. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for squirm

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

circa 1691, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of squirm was circa 1691

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Squirm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squirm. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

squirm

verb
1
: to twist about like an eel or a worm
squirmed in their seats
2
: to feel very embarrassed
undeserved praise made us squirm
squirmy adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on squirm

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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