wriggle

1
as in to squirm
to make jerky or restless movements a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to crawl
to move slowly with the body close to the ground a worm slowly wriggled across the sidewalk

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in to worm
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way within a month of his arrival, this social upstart had wriggled himself into the family's good graces

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 wriggle Rescuing the cat was quite a pursuit, requiring Ruff and both his sons to move the bed and wriggle their pet free. Rachel Raposas, People.com, 11 July 2025 Scientists have captured the first videos of wild roundworms forming living, wriggling towers that behave as one big superorganism By Jacek Krywko edited by Allison Parshall Join Our Community of Science Lovers! Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 5 June 2025 Hey, speaking of renovations, any of y’all spot any wriggling tendrils in the pipes? EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025 Erecting his sail-like, iridescent dorsal fin, the mudskipper wriggles his stout tail and launches himself into the air before falling back to earth with an unceremonious plop. Skylar Knight, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
  • And all those passengers squirming around makes driving more difficult because of the constantly changing weight balance.
    George Skelton, Mercury News, 2 July 2025
  • Not only do these votes make individual Republicans squirm, but they can be used for attack ads when a senator is up for reelection.
    Erin Doherty, CNBC, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Silver floral detailing crawled along the right hip of the gown and the left side of Lohan’s midsection.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 31 July 2025
  • Ever since Google emerged as the home page of the Web in the early 2000s, media outlets operated under the assumption that Google would reliably crawl their sites and send audience their way.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 31 July 2025
Verb
  • Technically, the Singapore Sling is not a tiki drink, but this tropical concoction has wormed its way into the tiki canon.
    Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 26 July 2025
  • From being the face of a labor action against Hooters as a teen to filming on The Hills years before her own reality TV breakthrough on Vanderpump Rules to partying with Paris Hilton at Les Deux and dating John Mayer, Scheana Shay has wormed her way into every potential site of 2000s nostalgia.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Verb
  • So, how long will that last, especially with artificial intelligence seemingly creeping into every aspect of life?
    Andrew Montequin, jsonline.com, 29 July 2025
  • Across the Volunteer State, temperatures are expected to creep down as July ends and August begins.
    Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • Some folks get fancy and use electric kettles for pastas, and others sneak illicit hot plates into their dorms.
    Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 27 July 2025
  • Long romanticized by cinema (hello, Jack Sparrow), pirate imagery is sneaking into fashion shows, reinterpreted with with luxurious materials, high shafts, relaxed structure, and lots of buckles.
    María Munsuri, Glamour, 27 July 2025
Verb
  • Boyd’s brilliance on the evening extended his scoreless stretch to 23 innings and gave him 10 straight starts where he’s tossed at least five innings while giving up two or fewer runs.
    Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 23 July 2025
  • Just pulse the fillet in a food processor until finely chopped, then toss it with fresh, whole-wheat breadcrumbs (made in the same processor), as well as ginger, garlic, scallion and cilantro.
    The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • Statistics from last May show that the number of visitors at the Vatican can reach 25,000 per day with massive ticket lines often snaking around the walls.
    Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • During an ablation, a cardiac electrophysiologist snakes a catheter through a vein or artery, usually in the groin or the wrist, to get to the heart.
    Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on wriggle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!