wriggle

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

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

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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

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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 On Freud’s other side is the young Behrens, who appears to be wriggling uncomfortably in his chair while holding on to a glass of wine. Karl Ove Knausgaard, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025 Watch Grande glide through as Glinda; behold Gomez wriggling under privilege. Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025 And then in the 90th minute, Alvarez beautifully wriggled past keeper Matej Kovar to score a memorable winner. Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 The ink shifted and wriggled again, forming new words from the old: NO OBSERVERS. EW.com, 14 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
  • No more squirming outside a locked restroom with a swollen bladder, while desperately eyeing a vacant restroom restricted to people of a different gender.
    Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Two fluffy, gray eaglets squirmed in the nest as Shadow happily settled in to keep his new chicks safe and warm.
    Devyn Byers, CNN, 5 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • If no shelter is available, crawl to an interior wall away from windows.
    Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025
  • As Hill sprinted from the trailing vehicle, the president was struck by a second and third shot as Hill crawled onto the back of the Kennedys' accelerating car.
    Bill Trott, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Chain Reactions Director: Alexandre O. Philippe Featuring: Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama United States, 2024 For fifty years, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has terrified audiences by worming its way into their subconscious.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
  • In recent years, inclusion mandates and training have wormed their way into virtually every facet of American life, including (but certainly not limited to) Hollywood, corporations and academia, just to name a few of the most prominent targets.
    Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Something similar happened to Lindon’s recreation of a Picasso painting: His hand twitched, tearing the work to pieces.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
  • For example, dogs who love running might be twitching their paws while dreaming.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Still, Kansas hung around and even crept ahead 46-45 with just over 5 minutes remaining.
    Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2025
  • But, some teams are creeping closely behind with games in hand.
    Ryan Morik, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • As Christina has a conversation with her competition outside of their property’s garage, Lange sneaks into the house and records each room, picking up a few souvenirs along the way.
    Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The president was on his balcony, smoking a cigarette and reading the tablet, when Trent, wearing the excavation uniform, snuck up and hit him with a heavy drill bit from the library’s display case; Cal dropped the tablet in the hedges below.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, another reader emphasized that the pot wasn’t hers to toss.
    Brian Anthony Hernandez, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
  • In two spring training starts, the righty has tossed three innings without allowing a run.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Cracks, 15 feet long and several feet wide, snaked up the sides of buildings.
    Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Ramadan in Gaza In Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, AP video showed a long table set for the breaking of the day’s Ramadan fast, snaking through the ruins and lit by strings of lights as the sky darkened.
    David Rising, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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