wobble

1 of 2

verb

wob·​ble ˈwä-bəl 

variants or less commonly wabble

wobbled also wabbled; wobbling also wabbling ˈwä-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move or proceed with an irregular rocking or staggering motion or unsteadily and clumsily from side to side

b

: tremble, quaver

2

: waver, vacillate

transitive verb

: to cause to wobble

wobbler noun

or less commonly wabbler

ˈwä-b(ə-)lər 

wobbliness noun

or less commonly wabbliness

ˈwä-blē-nəs 

wobbly adjective

or less commonly wabbly

ˈwä-b(ə-)lē 

wobble

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly wabble

1

a

: a hobbling or rocking unequal motion (as of a wheel unevenly mounted)

b

: an uncertainly directed movement

2

: an intermittent variation (as in volume of sound)

Synonyms of wobble

Verb

• shake
• jerk
• shudder
• vibrate
• quiver

Examples of wobble in a Sentence

Verb

The vase wobbled but didn't fall over.

The boy was wobbling along on his bicycle.

The table wobbles a little.

They have been wobbling in their support of the president's policies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

La Niña sets the stage by keeping moisture available, while the easterly QBO can trigger a wobbling polar vortex that pushes Arctic cold southward. —Brandi D. Addison, Freep.com, 7 Nov. 2025

Does your ankle wobble excessively or feel unstable? —Dana Santas, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025

Noun

For instance, previous research discovered a wobble in the orbit of Saturn's moon Mimas was potentially due to an ocean under its icy crust that likely arose in the past 10 million years, given how its surface still retains many ancient features, such as craters. —Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 25 Nov. 2025

Their batteries are located low to the ground, giving them a stable center of gravity to avoid wobbles during swings or catches. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably from Low German wabbeln; akin to Old English wǣfre restless — more at waver

First Known Use

Verb

1657, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1699, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for wobble

• bauble
• cobble
• gobble
• hobble
• labile
• squabble
• cantabile

Kids Definition

wobble

1 of 2 verb

wob·​ble ˈwäb-əl 

wobbled; wobbling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

a

: to move or cause to move with a jerky rocking or side-to-side motion

the baby's head wobbled from side to side

b

: tremble entry 1 sense 1

a voice that wobbles

2

: waver sense 1

his opinion wobbled

wobbler

ˈwäb-(ə-)lər 

noun

wobbly

-(ə-)lē 

adjective

wobble

2 of 2 noun

: a wobbling action or movement

the wheel had a bad wobble