wriggle out of
phrasal verb
wriggled out of; wriggling out of; wriggles out of
informal + often disapproving
: to avoid doing (something that one does not want to do) in some clever or dishonest way
She tried to wriggle out of the contract.
Don't let him wriggle out of paying you for your work.
Examples of wriggle out of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
A great deal of what makes each episode so satisfying is watching Elsbeth and Kaya outwit people who assume that murder charges will be simple to wriggle out of with the application of their overwhelming wealth and influence.
—
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 2 May 2025
So now, even the bankers are wriggling out of Carney’s globalist climate straitjacket.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2025
Few things are as humbling as struggling to wriggle out of a sweaty one post-workout.
—Boutayna Chokrane, Wired News, 19 Apr. 2025
Historically, he’s managed to wriggle out of trouble.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Adams' critics say his collaboration is part of an effort to wriggle out of federal corruption charges, though the mayor called on city lawmakers to allow New York police to work more with ICE even before Trump was elected.
—arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2025
The way that Judge Crawford keeps popping up as a needle in her side and her ire at his eel-like ability to wriggle out of her mental grasp just might push her too far.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
The Cavs had already planned on being a luxury-tax team with this loaded core (and wisely wriggled out of the tax this season to prevent the repeater clock from starting on them), but their roster challenges at the margins will become harder.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Tariffs that countries can wriggle out of through policy concessions are not a stable revenue source, and what if other nations follow through on threats to introduce retaliatory tariffs?
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
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Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 2 May 2025
So now, even the bankers are wriggling out of Carney’s globalist climate straitjacket.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2025
Few things are as humbling as struggling to wriggle out of a sweaty one post-workout.
—Boutayna Chokrane, Wired News, 19 Apr. 2025
Historically, he’s managed to wriggle out of trouble.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Adams' critics say his collaboration is part of an effort to wriggle out of federal corruption charges, though the mayor called on city lawmakers to allow New York police to work more with ICE even before Trump was elected.
—arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2025
The way that Judge Crawford keeps popping up as a needle in her side and her ire at his eel-like ability to wriggle out of her mental grasp just might push her too far.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
The Cavs had already planned on being a luxury-tax team with this loaded core (and wisely wriggled out of the tax this season to prevent the repeater clock from starting on them), but their roster challenges at the margins will become harder.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Tariffs that countries can wriggle out of through policy concessions are not a stable revenue source, and what if other nations follow through on threats to introduce retaliatory tariffs?
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wriggle out of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wriggle%20out%20of. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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