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
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
The fox looked at the wriggling thing, uncertain which side was speaking.
—
Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
After several moments, the shark managed to wriggle free and return to the ocean unharmed.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
That could lead to soft robots that wriggle through tight spaces with lifelike agility, surgical tools that bend and flex inside the body, or gentle grippers that can manipulate fragile objects without breaking them.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2025
The camera then switches from the chaos of the puppy, to the kitten—who is sitting in a relaxed position, blinking slowly, and staring almost disdainfully at the wriggling puppy.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
After several moments, the shark managed to wriggle free and return to the ocean unharmed.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
That could lead to soft robots that wriggle through tight spaces with lifelike agility, surgical tools that bend and flex inside the body, or gentle grippers that can manipulate fragile objects without breaking them.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2025
The camera then switches from the chaos of the puppy, to the kitten—who is sitting in a relaxed position, blinking slowly, and staring almost disdainfully at the wriggling puppy.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
Verb
-
The quarterly ritual when companies publicly measure themselves up against analyst estimates, squirm through conference calls, and brace for big after-hours stock moves.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
There is another issue, of course, squirming away in the soft flesh of maternity leave.—
Nell Frizzell,
Vogue,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Trying to make as little noise as possible, Kajumba would crawl into bed, crowded with hot limbs, and attempt to sleep.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Researchers found that increasing the finger count from three to five improved the hand’s crawling efficiency, but adding more beyond that resulted in diminishing returns.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Callahan spent much of season 4 trying to worm inside Kyle's head and lure him over to the Aryans in order to undercut Mike, but Kyle managed to resist his twisted siren song.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Dec. 2025
-
Clara ends up moving to the small town and worming her way into everyone’s hearts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After a short detour, visitors will find some cute photo ops with the beavers and even more Pokémon creeping onto the main trail.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Following the arctic blast that hit North Texas over the weekend, temperatures will remain low and freezing fog is expected to creep in on Wednesday morning.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Some of my earliest memories are sneaking out of bed to sit at the top of the stairs, desperate to catch a glimpse of the gold and the glamour.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
-
If the cover art suggests ’70s private-press albums have snuck into Garm’s rotation, the music seems to confirm it.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Pitchfork,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Someone off camera then tossed him that actual T-shirt.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Failing to get a criminal conviction tossed and again complaining about the conditions at Rikers Island, Weinstein wants to begin negotiations with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s office ahead of his upcoming trial, his lawyer said during a hearing Thursday.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Titled a serpentine, their pavilion is inspired by the crinkle crankle wall, a snaking English architecture feature that harkens back to the sinusoidal walls of Ancient Egypt.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Make the Road Action and New York Communities for Change backed Reynoso over rival Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in the battle for the deep-blue district that snakes through parts of northern Brooklyn and western Queens.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
