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Definition of wriggle
wriggled
;wriggling
play \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
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Examples of wriggle in a Sentence
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 of wriggle from the Web
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The scorpion can be seen dangling upturned from the spider's sticky web, wriggling its body and struggling to gain freedom.
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Small but determined, tiny elvers wriggle through wet grass and can mount six-foot dam walls, climbing atop each other like Navy plebes scaling the Academy obelisk.
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The Wildcats had a runner at third with one out in the first, but Sandoval wriggled out of trouble with a pair of comebackers.
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Imhoff, who played at Appleton North, was used to wriggling out of tight situations.
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In April 2013, on board the unmanned spacecraft BION-M, a thick-toed gecko wriggled out of its polyurethane collar.
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Abbott Laboratories and Alere Inc. agreed to proceed with their contentious merger, with Abbott—which had sought to wriggle out of the deal—paying a lower price.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wriggle'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of wriggle
Middle English, from or akin to Middle Low German wriggeln to wriggle; akin to Old English wrigian to turn — more at wry
wriggle
Definition of wriggle
1 : a short or quick writhing motion or contortion
2 : a formation or marking of sinuous design
Recent Examples of wriggle from the Web
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One robot wriggles like a newborn baby to understand its body.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wriggle'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of wriggle
1709
WRIGGLE Defined for English Language Learners
wriggle
playDefinition of wriggle for English Language Learners
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: to twist from side to side with small quick movements like a worm
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: to move forward by twisting and turning
WRIGGLE Defined for Kids
Headscratcher for wriggle
Take the “r” out of wriggle and you have one of its synonyms: wiggle!
Learn More about wriggle
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See words that rhyme with wriggle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wriggle Spanish Central: Translation of wriggle Nglish: Translation of wriggle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wriggle for Arabic speakers
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