as in writhing
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as in fidgeting
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 squirming
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2025
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Like him, Rue is squirming under Laurie’s thumb, anxious to get out.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
There will be no squirming tonight.
—Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
In the new iteration that would be Jack and his girlfriend Martha (Elle Fanning), whose introduction to the Taylors is one of many scenes played out with squirming discomfort.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
There is another issue, of course, squirming away in the soft flesh of maternity leave.
—Nell Frizzell, Vogue, 13 Jan. 2026
An annual tradition in the legal circle, as well as his UCLA symposium sit-downs, the hourlong speech from the predominantly softspoken Ziffren clearly had a few attendees squirming in their seats near the end.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Hungry birds looking for dozens of squirming caterpillars a day to feed their young can easily find the insects on oak trees.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
Dripping with atmosphere, Grace Presse’s portrait of a woman haunted by a sleep paralysis demon was genuinely creepy — punctuated by one perverse scene that had the audience squirming in their seats.
—William Earl, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
Jost proceeded to read them — as usual squirming while doing it.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2025
Verb
The veterans, of course, are terrific with one later episode set on a plane that finds Mulligan in top squirming form.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Like him, Rue is squirming under Laurie’s thumb, anxious to get out.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
There will be no squirming tonight.
—Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
In the new iteration that would be Jack and his girlfriend Martha (Elle Fanning), whose introduction to the Taylors is one of many scenes played out with squirming discomfort.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
There is another issue, of course, squirming away in the soft flesh of maternity leave.
—Nell Frizzell, Vogue, 13 Jan. 2026
An annual tradition in the legal circle, as well as his UCLA symposium sit-downs, the hourlong speech from the predominantly softspoken Ziffren clearly had a few attendees squirming in their seats near the end.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Hungry birds looking for dozens of squirming caterpillars a day to feed their young can easily find the insects on oak trees.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
Dripping with atmosphere, Grace Presse’s portrait of a woman haunted by a sleep paralysis demon was genuinely creepy — punctuated by one perverse scene that had the audience squirming in their seats.
—William Earl, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squirming
Noun
-
Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The design was inspired by the hair-tearing boredom of COVID lockdown-era remote work, a time in which Knafs founder Ben Petersen maintained sanity during Zoom calls by fidgeting around with pocket knives and doodling pictures.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Minimal but purposeful movement, avoiding fidgeting or excessive gestures, shows intention.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses were born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms, according to the AP.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Suarez was excellent on Friday, tossing eight shutout innings to deliver the best start by a Red Sox pitcher so far this season.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Hot sleepers know the feeling of tossing, turning, and sweating through too-warm bedding especially well, but the proper seasonal bedding can eliminate this issue.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tony Fauci was not just jerking the country around.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The clip on TikTok shows the seat jerking abruptly, apparently from forceful pushes by the person seated behind her.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Packed with numerous squirm-worthy scenes and strong commentary on impossible beauty standards, this film is best watched when the clock strikes midnight.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Even the normally surefire element of a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with its blasts of dissonance pumping up the squirm factor, adds to the heavy-going effect of a movie that seems to go out of its way to be grating.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Spencer took out his phone and played a recording of his daughter telling the wiggling story.—
John Kenney,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Dakar captures their tractor turning over the earth and storks swooping down for wiggling worms to feed their young.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Colorado’s lone goal was a result of some Matt Wells tactical fiddling — and Keegan Rosenberry playing like his job’s on the line — gone right.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Because the two cameras on the drone are rotatable via a pivot mechanism, the drone can also just use one camera, pointing forward, to shoot conventional 4K videos, meaning these are just regular videos with set framing and do not need any fiddling in post-production.—
Ben Sin,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squirming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirming. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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