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
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
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
-
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Gafford is benefiting from recent alley-oop connections with Cooper Flagg, Khris Middleton and Brandon Williams, who tossed a perfect lob over two Hawks defenders Sunday.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The front turnlock helps secure the bag, even when tossed aside to hit the dance floor.—
Paige Bennett,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Poking at the dirt outside of the home with a sharp metal rod soldered to a handle, Tello wiggled the rod around, pulled it out, and smelled it.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
27 Feb. 2026
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Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
-
Ref Bankes initially ignored the wide-eyed protests of several Chelsea players to flash only his yellow card as Garnacho writhed, grimacing on the floor and clutching his left leg.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Doncic writhed below the basket, spending a stoppage of 2-plus minutes with a Lakers trainer kneeling beside him.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Its lower jaw twisted outward from back to front.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
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Tanyka’s lower jaw twisted outward from back to front.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squirmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirmed. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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