WRIGGLE Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

wriggle

verb

ˈri-gəl

Definition of wriggle

as in to squirm

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to crawl

to move slowly with the body close to the ground a worm slowly wriggled across the sidewalk

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 On a couple of occasions, the teenager took the ball facing his own goal and, seemingly forced to go backwards, simply turned and wriggled the other way to move into acres of space, getting City up the pitch. — Sam Lee, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Together, these tiny pushes make the entire chain bend, wriggle and move much like a real worm. — K. R. Prathyusha, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026 More than 200 walruses were hauled out on the beach, grunting and groaning, wriggling and jostling for position. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for wriggle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle

Verb

In it, Trofimova is speaking English as the baby squirms in her lap.

— Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026
His wife Thessa was checking her phone and vaping in the next room when the child squirmed through the opening and fell.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of squirm

Verb

The Spurs jumped on Buzelis from the first pass of the second half, crawling up into his space and launching quick doubles that left the wing reeling for the remainder of the game.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2026
Seeing people scratching and crawling to win life-changing money.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

When watching the finished film, Howe realized their early life experiences wormed their way into the screenplay, too.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
Over the next several decades, and countless strangulations, Homer and Bart wormed their way into our hearts.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of worm

Verb

Then, for about half a mile, the crowd crept along Milwaukee Avenue onto West Diversey, ending at the Logan Square block where Delgado was slain last week.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
As sound check ends in Atlanta, Nastanovich creeps toward the stage’s edge to survey his options for jumping off.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of creep

Verb

Gonzalez answered later in the third quarter, making a 52-yard field goal that snuck through the bottom right corner of the goalposts.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026
Moog, one of the Australian creators of the popular Mighty Car Mods YouTube channel, sneaks into the top 40 with Shift.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of sneak

Verb

Nix tossed a pair of touchdown passes, using the same play-call each time — leaking a back or wide receiver into the end zone.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
Drake London had his only reception on the next play, but the threat stalled when Penix tossed three incompletions from the 14 to turn the ball over on downs.

— CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of toss

Verb

Accompanying 48-hour pop-ups took place in October at two of Ulta Beauty’s LA outposts — Santa Monica and Westwood — resulting in snaking queues and surpassing sales targets by more than 62%, according to Miller.

— Ella Graveney, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2026
London installed granite rumble strips in Hyde Park, raised crosswalks across bike lanes at bus stops, and ran snaking paths through Van Gogh Walk in Brixton.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of snake

Browse Nearby Words

wretches

wriggle

wriggled

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of wriggle

verb

Example Sentences

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