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
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Recent Examples of waggle
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023
One part of this process – the famous waggle dance – was discovered decades ago.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2011
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2024
The observations revealed that elephants greeted one another with specific combinations of vocalizations and gestures, such as rumbles with ear-flapping or ear-spreading, as well as other seemingly less deliberate physical movements, such as tail-raising and waggling, according to the study.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for waggle
Noun
The silence of the forest might be interrupted with a siren salute from a passing law enforcement helicopter, or a wing waggle from firefighting aircraft passing en route to a fire.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023
One part of this process – the famous waggle dance – was discovered decades ago.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2011
Verb
These massive mammals greet each other with a mix of gestures and sounds—by flapping their ears, making rumbling noises, waggling their tails and reaching out their trunks, scientists reported last week in the journal Communications Biology.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2024
The observations revealed that elephants greeted one another with specific combinations of vocalizations and gestures, such as rumbles with ear-flapping or ear-spreading, as well as other seemingly less deliberate physical movements, such as tail-raising and waggling, according to the study.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for waggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggle
Noun
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The main compartment opens up via a magnetic flap top, and on the bottom, there’s a discrete bottom zipper that has a mesh water bottle holder inside.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
13 July 2025
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How much the president himself cares about the Epstein flap remains an open question.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Whether due to devious marketing misdirection or just the viewer's first-time-watch naïveté, these flicks swerve in unexpected directions by snuffing out one of their prominent characters before the first or second act is even through.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
23 July 2025
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Johan Vásquez flicked the restart across the goal mouth and Álvarez burst past the defense, redirecting the ball from three yards just inside Matt Freese’s far post.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 July 2025
Noun
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In the TikTok video Tiffany shared, the moment the two dogs met again involved some sniffs, playful roughhousing and plenty of tail wags.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 June 2025
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Our portion of the state was so ignored that some of the local wags were calling for a new state called Forgottonia.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This is why after a snake is killed, its body will still twitch and move around, and why its head can still bite.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 July 2025
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At times, Woods reminds me of 2025 Cleveland Browns first-rounder Mason Graham, with the quickness and twitch to play just about anywhere along a defensive front and the power/hand speed to be a three-down weapon at either spot inside.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Noun
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But just as Reed flips the switch to teleport the planet, the Silver Surfer arrives and destroys every tower but the one in New York City.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
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With these new changes in the interest of reliability, Microsoft will likely hope that Windows 10 users decide to make the switch even as the ESU Wizard rolls out to devices.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Never did Nick Kurtz consider this, not as a young boy learning to swing left-handed in Lancaster, Pa., or during the charmed collegiate career that catapulted him into baseball’s consciousness.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
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Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer recently suggested the Houston Astros could swing a blockbuster trade deadline deal for Miami Marlins hurler Edward Cabrera in the coming days.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
Noun
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The volume and power buttons are flat, tactile, and very stable, with no discernible wiggle.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 July 2025
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When putting stress on the Switch 2 by holding the entire unit by the Joy-Con, there was wiggle there that wasn’t present when the Dbrand grip wasn’t installed.—
Anthony Karcz,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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The underlying herbal layer contributes some sage notes and everything swishes around delightfully in your mouth until the savory finish.—
Lana Bortolot,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
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Food is delivered on conveyor belts that swish quietly next to tables.—
Samantha Gowen,
Oc Register,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggle. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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