waddle

verb

ˈwä-dᵊl How to pronounce waddle (audio)
Definition of waddlenext
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side the duck waddled back into the water we watched the penguins waddle over the ice together

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of waddle Once considered delightfully kitschy relics of suburban Americana, porch geese are waddling their way back into the spotlight. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 29 May 2026 Once all of the ducklings were tucked into the basket, the animals were carried to a nearby canal, with their mother waddling behind them. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026 Partway up the trail, three penguins waddled past, entirely unbothered by the humans who stepped aside for them, and then belly-slid into the freezing water. — Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026 The only telltale sign of what lies below the surface is a metal set of stairs, leading into the icy blue channel, and small groups of divers and snorkelers waddling across the gravel paths in full gear. — Carinne Geil Botta, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for waddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waddle
  1. stagger
  2. lurch
  3. weave
  4. totter
  5. shuffle
Verb
  • Arrivals were staggered with people having to wait for hours with nothing to do.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 July 2026
  • Airbnb, DoorDash, Reddit, and Snowflake all either shortened the 180 days or staggered them.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Definition of stagger
Verb
  • Once, somewhere in southern Virginia, Dad performed the customary lurch off the highway in the direction of a promising barbecue counter.
    — Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
  • The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.
    — Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
Definition of lurch
Verb
  • Police continue to investigate why the driver was weaving and drove into the pole, Becchina said.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
  • Residents complained about teenagers popping wheelies through shopping centers, blowing stop signs, weaving around pedestrians and treating greenways like race courses.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
Definition of weave
Verb
  • In an accompanying cartoon, Spark is caricatured as a sulking giant, tottering above the Tuscan countryside in a pair of high heels.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
  • Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Definition of totter
Verb
  • The Chicago Cubs have been shuffling the lower levels of their organization ahead of the trade deadline, looking to recapture some strong momentum from the beginning of the season to help drive a playoff push in the second half.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • One Wednesday evening in May, at the boutique hotel Dream Hollywood — located just off the Walk of Fame — a young hotel staff member shuffled over to her co-worker to discuss a special guest on the top floor.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of shuffle

Browse Nearby Words

waddings
waddle
waddled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Waddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waddle. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on waddle

Nglish: Translation of waddle for Spanish Speakers

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