wriggle

1 of 2

verb

wrig·​gle ˈri-gəl 

wriggled; wriggling ˈri-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to move the body or a bodily part to and fro with short writhing motions like a worm : squirm

2

: to move or advance by twisting and turning

3

: to extricate or insinuate oneself or reach a goal as if by wriggling

transitive verb

1

: to cause to move in short quick contortions

2

: to introduce, insinuate, or bring into a state or place by or as if by wriggling

wriggly

ˈri-g(ə-)lē 

adjective

wriggle

2 of 2

noun

1

: a short or quick writhing motion or contortion

2

: a formation or marking of sinuous design

Synonyms

Verb

• squirm
• twitch
• toss
• fidget
• wiggle
• jerk
• writhe
• twist

Examples of wriggle in a Sentence

Verb

The children wriggled and squirmed in their chairs.

She managed to wriggle free of her ropes.

They wriggled out of their wet clothes.

I had trouble getting the wriggling fish off my hook.

The snake wriggled across the path and went underneath a bush.

He was able to wriggle through the narrow opening.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Erecting his sail-like, iridescent dorsal fin, the mudskipper wriggles his stout tail and launches himself into the air before falling back to earth with an unceremonious plop. —Skylar Knight, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025

One standout sequence features a slippery hand-to-hand combat scene among wriggling eels. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025

Noun

In the world of Eraserhead, the first feature of David Lynch, everything is emphatically not fine: Strange industrial noises fill the soundtrack, all efforts at human connection go awry, and worst of all, our hero has fathered a disgusting inhuman creature the wriggles and oozes all over its crib. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025

Fire and water have hogged the spotlight for too long; smoke has its own glamour, its own deathless wriggle. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from or akin to Middle Low German wriggeln to wriggle; akin to Old English wrigian to turn — more at wry

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wriggle

• wriggle out of

Rhymes for wriggle

• giggle
• jiggle
• wiggle

Kids Definition

wriggle

1 of 2 verb

wrig·​gle ˈrig-əl 

wriggled; wriggling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to twist or move to and fro like a worm : squirm

wriggle in one's chair

wriggle one's toes

2

: to move along by twisting and turning

the eel wriggled its way upstream

wriggle

2 of 2 noun

1

: a short or quick twisting motion

2

: a formation or marking having a winding or twisting course or appearance