as in flapped
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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggled
Verb
-
But Chelsea — and Garnacho — responded again, the Argentina international reducing the arrears again after some Kepa had flapped at a cross.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026 -
A little way down the bank, a hoatzin flapped awkwardly in dense foliage.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The day Hanceville’s police department was eliminated, a switch was flicked in a dispatch center at the county sheriff’s office in Cullman.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Off a pass from Alex Carpenter, Knight went streaking up the right side of the ice, fended off a defender and then flicked a goal into the top of the net.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Ilia Malinin leaned his head back and wagged his tongue.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Major League Baseball wagged a finger with one hand and palmed gate receipts and a new TV deal in the other.—
Jeremy Collins,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Within seconds, Perez smacked a cellphone out of the man's hand, swung at his head and tackled him to the ground.—
Sheridan Hendrix,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Over the past decade, screening guidelines have swung from recommending routine screening to advising against it to landing somewhere in between, and major organizations still don’t all say it the same way.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Knueppel came out hot and swished his first three shots beyond the arc and ended up tossing in 34 points, connecting on 10 of 16 attempts and going 8 for 12 from 3-point range.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Allen swished a 3 with two seconds to spare.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Several giant foam fingers bobbed above the crowd.—
Martin Silva Rey,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Tyla’s glam included bobbed hair and cornrows with bold makeup, featuring smokey eyes.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Waggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggled. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
