waddle

1 of 2

verb

wad·​dle ˈwä-dᵊl 

waddled; waddling

ˈwäd-liŋ,

ˈwä-dᵊl-iŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to walk with short steps swinging the forepart of the body from side to side

2

: to move clumsily in a manner suggesting a waddle

waddler

ˈwäd-lər

ˈwä-dᵊl-ər 

noun

waddle

2 of 2

noun

: an awkward clumsy swaying gait

Synonyms

Verb

• stagger
• lurch
• weave
• totter
• shuffle

Examples of waddle in a Sentence

Verb

He waddled down the hallway.

A fat goose waddled across the yard.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But Seymour did not opt for the waddling bird in the hand. —Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025

Every day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., people from every corner of the world gather near the lobby fountain and watch the ducks waddle in on a red carpet. —Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 28 July 2025

Noun

Look for signs of disease in your birds such as nasal discharge, being unusually quiet, lack of energy, swelling in the comb or waddles, or discoloration of the comb, waddles or legs, less food and water intake, a drop in egg production, and unusual loss or increase of loss in your flock. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

Here are four remarkable flightless birds that have evaded extinction – and continue to walk, run, or waddle across our planet today. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

frequentative of wade

First Known Use

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1691, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for waddle

• caudal
• caudle
• dawdle
• model
• twaddle
• remodel

Kids Definition

waddle

1 of 2 verb

wad·​dle ˈwäd-ᵊl 

waddled; waddling ˈwäd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to walk with short steps swaying from side to side

ducks waddling to the water

2

: to move slowly and awkwardly

the big boat waddled upstream

waddler

-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun

waddle

2 of 2 noun

: an awkward swaying walk