wriggle

verb

ˈri-gəl How to pronounce wriggle (audio)
Definition of wrigglenext
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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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

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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 After that moment, Ali was able to wriggle his way out of everything Hotch through at him from there. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 The baby squirrel wriggled, knocked from its forest home in the storm. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026 The overwhelming success of Season 1 gave the executive producers wriggle room for Season 2. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026 The toddler has already slid halfway down her mother’s lap, her small torso thrown back, using her foot as leverage to wriggle free. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wriggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle
  1. squirm
  2. crawl
  3. worm
  4. twitch
  5. creep
  6. sneak
  7. toss
  8. snake
Verb
  • In the back, tanks bubbled with live lobsters while crawfish squirmed in boxes nearby.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Laura squirmed under her mother’s gaze, willed the light to turn green.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of squirm
Verb
  • In May 2025, after Williams shut off the water in a cell, 10 inmates removed a toilet, crawled through a gap in the wall and scaled a fence out of the jail.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of crawl
Verb
  • Over the next several decades, and countless strangulations, Homer and Bart wormed their way into our hearts.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The idea wormed its way through the State Fair machinery, and with a month and a half to go until gates opened, EatFuti heard they’d be allowed to test a pilot program.
    — Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of worm
Verb
  • Just then, Chee Meng’s fishing rod twitched, and the line began to run out.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of twitch
Verb
  • Europe has crept back on the scene in a real negative way, this time with France on the hot seat.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The aberrant digit only crept in because Ford owned the rights to Model E and wasn’t interested in selling.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of creep
Verb
  • It was announced on Saturday that Judkins and QB Deshaun Watson had been fined a cool $14,397, while guard Austin Barber, who also snuck a hit off of the invisible blunt, had to pony up $6,944.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Miami rebounded by winning its final four games to sneak into the 12-team playoff field before making a run all the way to the CFP National Championship Game.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • That woman was truly unbothered, a term tossed around online, but the literal act of not being bothered is impossible for most people beyond the quirkiest, like my onetime neighbor, or maybe Fran Lebowitz.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026
  • After a promising start to the potential game-tying drive in the extra frame, Tagovailoa would toss an interception to Baltimore All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton to seal Atlanta's fate.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of toss
Verb
  • After practice, the guard was seen with kinesiology tape snaking up his right calf while working on the court with assistant coaches.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Long lines of vehicles snaked outside gas stations across Indonesia’s resort island of Bali this week after fuel deliveries were disrupted by a combination of technical problems, bad weather and surging demand, officials said Wednesday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of snake

Browse Nearby Words

wretches
wriggle
wriggled
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Cite this Entry

“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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