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
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
What happens next in the final minutes of The Vanishing will leave viewers squirming in their seats and hoping against hope for our vulnerable leading man.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
With net in hand, the future microbial geochemist dredged up seaweed and mud squirming with snails, crab larvae and other small invertebrates.
—Laura Poppick, Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
In this case, the device was able to suck in part of the worm's tail and drag it out—still squirming.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
What happens next in the final minutes of The Vanishing will leave viewers squirming in their seats and hoping against hope for our vulnerable leading man.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
With net in hand, the future microbial geochemist dredged up seaweed and mud squirming with snails, crab larvae and other small invertebrates.
—Laura Poppick, Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
In this case, the device was able to suck in part of the worm's tail and drag it out—still squirming.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 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
-
Applause intermingled with tears as the families of the Camp Mystic campers and counselors looked on, many with small children fidgeting in their Sunday-best attire behind the governor.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, often followed by slurred speech.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The brawl spilled outside of the ring, with Punk tossing Paul into a barricade.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been charged with taking bribes from sports bettors to intentionally throw certain types of pitches, including tossing balls instead of strikes to ensure successful bets.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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To that point, Olympia shouldn’t be allowed to play the jury the tear-jerking recording of Frank’s final phone call home as the water rose.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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The Surprise Lining The most tear-jerking moment, however, was kept secret until the very last minute.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
That kind of thing makes a checker squirm.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
After that failed, with the student wiggling out of the coat and hitting, kicking and trying to bite the teacher, the teacher said, the school security guard returned to the van with tube socks.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
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Parents and kids will encounter wiggling, stretching, and breathing exercises in each episode, giving your child that consistent routine their bodies need to sleep well, night after night.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For those deep in the Apple ecosystem who want headphones that just work without all the fiddling, the Beats Solo 4 make sense with a 25% discount.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 Oct. 2025
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Now scientists have found that, with a little fiddling, the feathers can be adjusted to turn flashes of light into laser beams.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Squirming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirming. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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