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
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.
—
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 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
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 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
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
My empty paper bowl jerked along the belt, stopping under each funnel.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Carmella and Omar made it onto the ballot, but only because of extraordinary effort and after hundreds of signatures were tossed.—
Adam Davis,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
Most boxes focus on generic stuff that will either get ripped to shreds or tossed to the side.—
Rachel Cortez,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Arndt allowed baserunners in each of the first five innings but wiggled out of most of the jams.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 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
-
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
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His fingers splayed and writhed like a terrible mandible.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In this retiree state with much smarts and experience but sorely values-twisted by years of lopsided Republican rule under Govs.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
Benge got twisted up and tripped up, and the ball went well over his head and a few feet to his left.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squirmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirmed. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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