as in fidgeted
to make jerky or restless movements
the toddler squirmed the whole time we were in the waiting room
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Recent Examples of squirmed
Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.
—
ABC News, 11 May 2026
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Carl squirmed away from some of his earlier remarks minimizing the Holocaust but stood by his views on anti-white persecution and the Great Replacement.
—Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026
Juana Rodriguez was bound for hours as her 3-year old son cried and squirmed, according to the ACLU lawsuit that was filed on behalf of three Latino families.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
The open section of their session lasted for 15 minutes — and Howe will have squirmed through every second — but there were laughs amid the stretches and shuttle runs.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
ABC News, 11 May 2026
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Carl squirmed away from some of his earlier remarks minimizing the Holocaust but stood by his views on anti-white persecution and the Great Replacement.
—Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026
Juana Rodriguez was bound for hours as her 3-year old son cried and squirmed, according to the ACLU lawsuit that was filed on behalf of three Latino families.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
The open section of their session lasted for 15 minutes — and Howe will have squirmed through every second — but there were laughs amid the stretches and shuttle runs.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squirmed
Verb
-
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
My jaw twitched uncontrollably.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
In the summer of 2020, former Morgan Stanley trader Adam Crawley was wandering through Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, perfecting his qigong with a man called Master YanG, when a cold message on LinkedIn jerked him back to reality.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Staying on theme, Diaz tossed her hair into a quick updo with face-framing tendrils hanging out.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
17 June 2026
-
Cardboard boxes, whether filled or not, should definitely be tossed, as these attract insects of all kinds.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Femi tried to hit Lesnar with a Fall from Grace, but Lesnar wiggled out of it.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
De Avila nearly wiggled out of a huge jam in the first inning, producing two strikeouts after the Knights loaded the bases with no outs.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
But what does some scientist know about eating fruit, of all things, when your hamstring feels like it’s being fiddled by Satan?—
Dan England,
Outside,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As Rossini stowed her purse in a tiny back office, a manager named Katie Atlas was onboarding a new employee, a young woman who fiddled nervously with her necklace.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lesnar smiled as Femi writhed in pain from the multiple finishing moves.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
While family members and peers in Yuba City waited for more information, Burris writhed deeper into the bus, and responders in Martinez formulated a plan to rescue the people left inside.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Charlotte's white hair bow at Trooping marked her largest of the hair accessories so far, and her locks were twisted near the bow.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
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The New York Times last week reported about his relationships with previous girlfriends, one of whom said Platner twisted her arm during an argument and locked her in a room.—
Patrick Whittle,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squirmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirmed. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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