Thesaurus results for WAGGLE

waggle 1 of 2

noun

Definition of waggle

as in flap

a quick jerky movement from side to side or up and down a quick waggle of her head to indicate "no"

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waggle

2 of 2

verb

ˈwa-gəl

as in to flap

to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions the rabbit waggled its ears and hopped away

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of waggle

Noun

Researchers found that the receivers of the dance weren’t just following the direction and distance indicated by the waggle dance. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025 Already Guerrero seems to be able to convey of-the-moment phrasings and character directions with a few emphatic motions—a roller-coaster swoop here, a waggle of the fingers there—and get an immediate response from the choristers. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025

Verb

When LaBeija, as Gus the Theatre Cat, finally strolled onstage to revisit his glory days, waggling his long, polished claws, a younger Gus (Jonathan Burke) appeared, like a mirror dancing toward him. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026 The crimson tips of giant tube worms waggled in the current, tangling around clusters of mussels. — Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for waggle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggle

Noun

Chanel walked several burgundy options down the runway, from their flap bag to a chic hobo bag.

— Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 31 July 2026
And of course, can any WNBA fit be completled with a Coach leather flap bag?

— Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of flap

Verb

France trailed 4-0 before Mbappé sparked a comeback attempt, flicking the ball past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute before adding a second with a left-footed finish from about 14 yards in the 66th.

— Mark Hodge, NBC news, 20 July 2026
Then Williams crossed for Mikel Merino — another substitute — who flicked a header wide.

— Michael Cox, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of flick

Noun

Ever since the infamous finger-wag at LSU, Clark has dominated Angel Reese.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
Moreover, if Griffin stepped into public life now, the cynical wags in finance would declare the reason obvious—his hedge fund’s returns have been sagging.

— Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Definition of wag

Noun

Typically, some models deviate and predict a waning event at some point, or a switch into La Niña, which is El Niño’s colder water sibling.

— Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Typically, this bait-and-switch would lead to a Wally Pipp situation where Pipp’s replacement (in this case Lou Gehrig) never gave up his spot.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of switch

Verb

If the answer swings on how the question was phrased, the model is not measuring anything about the match.

— Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Out in the clean air, this pointer swung away from the compass to aim at the plume’s edge, several seconds before the fly physically turned to head back.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of swing

Noun

During her visit to the Evelina London Children’s Hospital on Monday, Middleton wore the Suzannah London silk flippy wiggle shirtdress in white with black accents.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 10 July 2026
Saints peppered Trick with punches in the corner, but Trick gave Ricky a little wiggle and answered with strikes of his own.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

Definition of wiggle

Verb

Waiters swished past with little pots of lemon sorbet and glasses of Sprankel, a sparkling wine from Babylonstoren, Roos and Bekker’s farm and hotel in South Africa’s Franschhoek wine valley.

— Mary Holland, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026
Rinse the blueberries under cold running water, gently swishing them around with your hands to ensure all the berries are exposed to water.

— Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 3 July 2026

Definition of swish

Browse Nearby Words

waggishness

waggle

waggled

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Style

“Waggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggle. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of waggle

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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