wriggle

verb wrig·gle \ ˈri-gəl \

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

—

wriggly

play \ˈri-g(ə-)lē\ adjective

See wriggle defined for English-language learners

See wriggle defined for kids

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

Against Las Palmas, his goal came after wriggling his way through the challenges of four of the hosts' defenders.

— SI.com, "Why Angel Correa Could Prove to Be a Key Part of Atletico Madrid's Squad This Season," 27 Aug. 2017
Donald Trump has certainly wriggled his way out of a pickle before—

— jay willis, GQ, "This Is the Real Donald Trump," 15 Aug. 2017
And when Jaime Lannister manages to wriggle away from his twin sister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau delivers some of the very best work on the series.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "Game of Thrones:," 6 Aug. 2017
And when Jaime Lannister manages to wriggle away from his twin sister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau delivers some of the very best work on the series.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones: Why Jaime Lannister Can’t Die . . . Yet," 6 Aug. 2017
Hilariously, Orrock is trying to wriggle out of this one.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "John McCain: A Hero Under Fire," 19 July 2017
But, as New York’s subway system has buckled under the weight of a growing ridership, Cuomo has tried to wriggle out of responsibility, claiming control of the Metropolitan Transit Authority in mid-June, despite already controlling it.

— clio chang, New Republic, "How Andrew Cuomo Keeps the Left in Check," 17 July 2017
This system bends a small wire with a motor attached into a shape that can wriggle and squirm into a tiny crevice.

— juquai mcduffie, Popular Mechanics, "These '1D' Robots Can Be Printed to Fit in Any Crevice or Crack," 14 July 2017
Beached sand lances wriggled for water as gulls hunted them, probing the boulder-laden terrain, stabbing quickly with hungry yellow beaks and swallowing greedily.

— clark fair, Alaska Dispatch News, "Colorful kaleidoscope of marine life in Homer tidepools," 8 July 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

wriggle Synonyms

Synonyms

fiddle, jerk, jig, jiggle, squiggle, squirm, thrash, thresh, toss, twist, twitch, wiggle, fidget, writhe

Related Words

flit, flutter, twitter; quake, quiver, shake, shiver, shudder, tremble; pace

Near Antonyms

relax, rest, unwind; calm (down), still

wriggle

noun

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

One robot wriggles like a newborn baby to understand its body.

— NBC News, "What the Rise of Sentient Robots Will Mean for Human Beings," 19 June 2017
If so, the Ducks will enter the meet -- June 7-10 at Hayward Field -- with wriggle room.

— ken goe, OregonLive.com, "Despite mishaps, UO women still appear to be solid favorites: Oregon track & field rundown," 30 May 2017
Deadpan humor is a slippery creature; miss the tone by just a little, and the potential wriggles away.

— neil genzlinger, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Take Me,’ a Kidnapping Turns Cat-and-Mouse," 3 May 2017

First Known Use of wriggle

1709

WRIGGLE Defined for English Language Learners

wriggle

verb

Definition of wriggle for English Language Learners

: to twist from side to side with small quick movements like a worm
: to move forward by twisting and turning

WRIGGLE Defined for Kids

wriggle

verb wrig·gle \ ˈri-gəl \

Definition of wriggle for Students

wriggled; wriggling

1 :to twist or move like a worm :squirm, wiggle

2 :to advance by twisting and turning

Her dog … would wriggle under the fence and run about …
—Lois Lowry, Number the Stars

Headscratcher for wriggle

Take the “r” out of wriggle and you have one of its synonyms: wiggle!

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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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wriggle

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Origin and Etymology of wriggle

wriggle Synonyms

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wriggle

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WRIGGLE Defined for English Language Learners

wriggle

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