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

Relevance

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
  • Barratt plays Tom Riddle, a former Hogwarts student who meets Harry in the form of a mysterious voice magically scribbling messages through an enchanted notebook.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2026
  • With the bulk of his work at practice done for the day, Achord retreats to the back of the end zone with Koonz, squatting and scribbling something on paper.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 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
  • Philippine Coast Guard via AP Images of nighttime rescue efforts showed Coast Guard personnel tossing life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But in Denver and New York, Lock struggled with interceptions, including tossing a league-high 15 during the 2020 season and five in 2024.
    — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of tossing
Verb
  • The production’s winking tone blunts some of the original’s tear-jerking climax, yet its intact happy ending offers a surprisingly comforting vision of survival in an age of constant crises.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Henry drove off and sped up to 45 mph before jerking the car.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of jerking
Verb
  • Following this concern, 55% of parents said their top concern was their child’s ability to complete multistep tasks such as homework while 45% of parents cited fidgeting.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The current boom is driven by Gen Z’s openness about mental health, social-commerce virality on TikTok and Etsy, and a broader nervous-system regulation movement that treats fidgeting as a legitimate coping tool rather than a bad habit.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fidgeting
Verb
  • Kubrick honed his signature style and attention to detail here in a film that’s constantly twisting and turning, intent on knocking its audience off their feet.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The system shudders a bit and then gets back to normal, like a person stubbing a toe or twisting an ankle faces discomfort and difficulty walking for a while.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 28 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Squiggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squiggling. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All