squiggling

verb

present participle of squiggle
1
as in twitching
to make jerky or restless movements a pediatrician's waiting room full of squiggling toddlers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scribbling
to write or draw hastily or carelessly there are some illegible notes squiggled in the margins of the old book

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of squiggling The salamanders are still squiggling commas inside them. — Nathan Rott, NPR, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squiggling
  1. twitching
  2. scribbling
  3. squirming
  4. tossing
  5. jerking
  6. fidgeting
  7. twisting
  8. wiggling
Verb
  • Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
  • Somewhere, John Tortorella's eye is twitching with rage after that.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of twitching
Verb
  • Jack McGrail and Aiyana Da’Briel, staff leaders for the SoLa Live Accelerator program behind the event, seemed to be everywhere at once, passing out wristbands and scribbling on clipboards.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • Each time Yamamoto took the mound, his interpreter, Sonoda, sat on the dugout ledge, scribbling his own notes to help streamline Yamamoto’s process.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 13 June 2026
Definition of scribbling
Verb
  • With the contact patch sliding and squirming, the brakes had less to work with—and the car took just enough extra distance to end in an impact.
    — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Unless your companion could use a hand or is traveling with young kids (in the latter case, if this person also happens to be your spouse or partner, really not cool to leave them with the stroller, diaper bag, squirming kids).
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Definition of squirming
Verb
  • Relievers Chase Shugart and Jonathan Bowlan were among those who played catch with Orion Kerkering, who jokingly told them to throw their sweepers and curveballs rather than just tossing.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Roast, tossing halfway through, until tofu is deep golden brown and starting to crisp and sweet potatoes are very tender, 35–40 minutes.
    — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of tossing
Verb
  • Stuttering lines, on the left, jerking up and down, denote the rattle of guns; on the right, the lines are all but flat, as silence descends.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Logan Howlett, got a tear-jerking send-off in James Mangold’s Logan.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026
Definition of jerking
Verb
  • At about 45 minutes in, guests were looking at their phones and fidgeting in their seats.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 July 2026
  • Pekara said hospital surveillance footage captured him fidgeting under the blanket.
    — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of fidgeting
Verb
  • On bars – her weakest event – Jade Carey fought through a late pirouette to nearly nail her full-twisting double layout dismount.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Like Dante, Nick Tosches was an undaunted character whose tongue-twisting prose was an iconoclastic mash-up of realism and intricate, erudite lyricism.
    — A.D. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of twisting
Verb
  • Cueto was known for hesitating while in his pitching motion, or wiggling on the mound.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Getting both aligned so the cover properly locked took some wiggling on my part.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026
Definition of wiggling

Browse Nearby Words

squiggles
squiggling
squinch
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Cite this Entry

“Squiggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squiggling. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on squiggling

Nglish: Translation of squiggling for Spanish Speakers

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